Gen Z Is Forgoing Marriage And Buying Homes Alone Instead

For decades, the traditional markers of adulthood in the U.S. followed a familiar order: get married, buy a home, then start a family. But for Gen Z, that sequence is often being rewritten.

The shift reflects both changing social norms and the economic pressures reshaping the housing market for younger buyers. New data suggests many Gen Z adults are prioritizing homeownership over marriage, often buying homes on their own rather than waiting for a partner.

The National Association of Realtors' (NAR) 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report found that a majority of Gen Z homebuyers are purchasing properties alone. In the report, 53 percent of Gen Z buyers, defined as those aged 18 to 26, bought a home on their own.

That rate is more than double what millennials were doing at the same age. Despite the attention the trend is getting, Gen Z still represents a relatively small share of the overall housing market. The NAR report found that Gen Z accounted for just 4 percent of all homebuyers, reflecting that many Gen Z adults are still early in their careers or priced out of the market entirely.

At the same time, the median age of first-time homebuyers has climbed to a record high of 40, so the average American is still waiting far longer to buy their first home.

Why It Matters

With housing costs rising faster than wages and mortgage rates remaining elevated, many young adults see homeownership as something that must happen whenever the opportunity arises, rather than after marriage or other long‑established markers of adulthood.

What To Know

By comparison, an earlier NAR report from 2013 showed that just 22 percent of homebuyers age 32 and younger were single at the time of purchase.

Among Gen Z buyers purchasing solo, women make up a larger share than men, reflecting another generational shift in wealth-building and financial independence.

Housing affordability appears to be a major driver behind the trend. A 2025 Coldwell Banker survey found that 84 percent of Gen Z respondents said they are delaying major life milestones, such as marriage or even career changes, to focus on affording a home.

Rising home prices, limited inventory, and high mortgage rates have all made it harder for young adults to hit traditional milestones at the same pace as their elders. Instead of waiting to marry, many Gen Zers are choosing to buy when they can, even if that means doing so alone.

"Despite the recent cooldown in the housing market, home prices have been on a tear since COVID, which is right about the time the oldest of Gen Z were graduating college and entering the job market," Drew Powers, the founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek. "Gen Z-ers are looking at home prices and feeling that if they don't get in a home now, they may never be able to afford one again."

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek, “Owning property has been one of the most time-tested ways in American life to build wealth, and the earlier someone starts that process, the easier it will be financially for them later,” “In an era when most are delaying marriage, purchasing a home before finding a partner may not be the cultural norm, but it could prove to be the economically smarter choice.”

For those Gen Zers who do manage to purchase a home, many are relying on nontraditional strategies to cover upfront costs. The report found that about 14 percent of buyers ages 18 to 26 sought help through community or government down payment assistance programs.

Home sales declined month over month earlier this spring, as prospective buyers held out for lower mortgage rates or more affordable listings, further complicating the landscape for first-time buyers.

What Happens Next

The new data could indicate a broader redefinition of adulthood and the American Dream, experts say.

Rather than following a set sequence of marriage, homeownership, and family life, many Gen Z adults are adapting to economic realities by reshuffling those priorities.

"Those older generations were content to rent that one-bedroom apartment and put off homebuying until they were more settled with a spouse and kids, because home prices, and especially interest rates, were far more accessible than they are now," Powers said.

Newsweek's reporters and editors used Martyn, our Al assistant, to help produce this story. Learn more about Martyn.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 11:56 AM.