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It’s an extremely tricky time to be looking for a house, especially for younger adults who may be searching for property for the first time.
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With rising costs and limited supply, it’s harder for younger Americans to buy a house in most metro areas, according to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center.
Around 89% of people under 40 said that it’s harder to buy a home for younger adults today than it was for their parents’ generation. Young adults are also less likely to say than older adults that buying a house is a good investment.
Even though the current market may deter young buyers, there are still those who want nothing more than to own a house; the sooner, the better.
To find out where younger Americans are most actively pursuing homeownership, SmartAsset analyzed mortgage applications in each of the 50 states over the preceding year. They then ranked each state by its percentage of potential homeowners under the age of 35, from highest to lowest.
South Carolina may be seeing the largest population growth in the country, but that doesn’t mean younger adults are finding better opportunities to buy a house of their own.
According to the study, only around 20% of mortgage applicants in SC were under 35. Here’s how that percentage compares to other states:
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Where does SC rank for young adult house hunting?
The Palmetto State is slightly behind when it comes to its percentage of young adult house hunters. Coming in at 27th place in the SmartAsset ranking, SC saw only 58,977 total mortgage applications from adults under 35.
SmartAsset doesn’t provide any reasoning behind the numbers, but a few factors might contribute to SC’s placement. The typical home value in SC has grown to $307,777, a 0.8% increase since last year, according to Zillow. The typical home value in the U.S. is $371,757, up 1.0% from last year.
As the state becomes more popular and housing affordability becomes more of an issue, younger South Carolinians are being locked out of the housing market.
Top 10 states with the highest young adult mortgage applications
These 10 states had the highest percentage of mortgage applications from adults under 35. Texas leads in the total number of applicants, but only ranks No. 18 overall.
- North Dakota: 28.3%
- West Virginia: 26.5%
- Nebraska: 25.7%
- Iowa: 25.6%
- South Dakota: 25.1%
- Kentucky: 24.8%
- Minnesota: 24.3%
- Alaska: 24.3%
- New Mexico: 24.0%
- Utah: 23.7%
Methodology
SmartAsset used Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) snapshot data from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It was analyzed for 2025, the most recent year available.
They were able to determine the number and share of mortgage applicants under 35 in each state by combining the under-25 and 25-to-34 age categories.
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