Oldest Americans See Real Estate Wealth Trend Upward

In 2025, the share of real estate wealth held by the oldest Americans was higher than ever before. According to real estate marketing platform Redfin, those 70 and older held 26% of the country’s $48 trillion in real estate wealth during Q-3 2025. That figure is down just slightly from the 26.1% recorded in the prior quarter, but the share of real estate wealth held by adults in this age group has grown considerably over the last two decades. One decade ago, those 70 and older held 21.6% of the real estate wealth, and two decades ago, that figure was at just 16.6%.

As the oldest group of Americans see their wealth grow, most other age groups are experiencing a decline in real estate wealth

While this older cohort has seen their share of real estate wealth increase over the years, the opposite is true for most younger age groups. The 40-54 year old cohort held 26% of real estate wealth in Q-3 2025, which is down from 29.3% a decade earlier, and those between the ages of 55 and 69 saw their share of real estate wealth drop to 35.3% from 37.2% over the same period. Meanwhile, real estate wealth for those under 40 has stagnated. Those under 40 held 12.6% of real estate wealth in Q-3 2025, barely changing from the 11.9% held a decade earlier.

Younger generations could see their real estate wealth improve later this year

Housing affordability has already improved slightly in 2025, and according to the report, this trend is expected to continue throughout 2026. Late last year, Redfin predicted that income growth was expected to outpace home price growth, and mortgage rates have also come down in recent months. The average 30-year-fixed mortgage rate now sits at around 6%, just shy of the lowest level observed in the past three years.