- House owner period peaked at 13.4 years in 2020, approximately doubling the average tenure from 2005. Then it declined marginally for four years before ticking up in 2025.
- People hanging onto their houses can be a barrier for novice homebuyers since it limits inventory and pushes up rates.
- Tenure is longest in California, mainly since state tax laws incentivize property owners to stay put. In Los Angeles, the common homeowner hangs onto their home for 20 years, followed by San Jose, where it’s almost 19 years.
- Period is quickest in relatively budget friendly cities, led by Louisville and Las Vegas.
The normal U.S. property owner stays put in their home for 12 years, the longest median tenure given that 2022.
This information is from a Redfin analysis of mean homeowner tenure by year in the U.S. since 2025, utilizing historical county records. The data in this report goes back through 2005. Period for 2025 is defined as the variety of years between the most recent sale date of a home and December 1, 2025.
Homeowner period peaked at 13.4 years in 2020, then slowly declined each year until 2024. The declines were driven by the pandemic-driven homebuying and selling craze, when record-low home mortgage rates and remote work motivated many Americans to move. Tenure inched up from 11.8 years in 2024 to 12 years in 2025 as home sales slowed due to high real estate expenses.
Still, homeowners are holding onto their homes for nearly twice as long as they remained in the early aughts. In 2005, for instance, the normal property owner sat tight for 6.5 years before selling. Over the next decade-plus, people stayed in their homes longer as the American population got older. Baby boomers and Gen Xers became increasingly likely to age in location due to the fact that they’re economically incentivized to sit tight– numerous older people own their homes free and clear, and those who do have a home mortgage likely have a much smaller sized payment than a homebuyer would today. Older people likewise generally have less factor than younger people to transfer; for instance, they’re not as most likely to move for a new job or grow their families.
House owners hanging onto their houses for a very long time can be a barrier for first-time property buyers. A 2024 Redfin analysis discovered that empty-nest baby boomers own 28% of America’s three-bedroom-plus homes, two times as many as millennials with kids. While it’s reasonable that older Americans wish to hold onto their low housing payments– or no real estate payment– the other hand is that it depletes inventory of starter homes and presses home prices higher.
“High home loan rates and home prices perpetuate a cycle that secures housing inventory,” stated Chen Zhao, Redfin’s head of economics research study. “It can keep existing homeowners in location and financially prevent them from transferring to a various home or a various neighborhood, which drives rates up even greater for first-timers attempting to break into the marketplace. But there is good news: Homebuying affordability has actually improved as home loan rates have actually come down, dropping below 6% for the very first time in over 3 years recently. And home-price development has slowed, and we expect it to enhance more. That should push more Americans to move.”
California Property Owners Sat Tight Longest, Led By Los Angeles
Los Angeles homeowners usually hang onto their homes for 20 years– the longest period in the country. Los Angeles is likewise the city with the greatest yearly uptick in period: 20 years in 2025, up from 19.4 years in 2024.
It’s followed by another major California city, San Jose, where homeowners stay put for an average of 18.7 years. Homeowners in San Francisco (16.5 years), San Diego (14.5 years) and Riverside (12.4 years) also hang onto their homes longer than the nationwide average.
California’s tax laws incentivize homeowners to stay in their homes for a very long time. Proposal 13, which was adopted in 1978, locks owners into low real estate tax, dissuading them from moving and handling a higher tax rate. Long-lasting low real estate tax keep bills low for house owners, however they can restrict the supply of homes for sale and push up costs, making it tougher for first-timers to get into the marketplace.
There have been tax amendments in recent years, like Proposition 19, created to incentivize longtime property owners to move. However their effect has been limited.
Reasonably Cost Effective Metros, Getaway Destinations Have the Quickest Home Turnover
Homeowner tenure is shortest in Louisville, KY, where the common owner spends 8.3 years in their home before offering. It’s followed by Las Vegas (8.8 years), Charlotte, NC (9.2 years), Orlando, FL (9.2 years) and Raleigh, NC (9.3 years).
Tenure is shortest in those locations partially due to the fact that homes are cost effective compared to numerous other parts of the U.S. When home rates are lower, it’s typically easier for house owners to offer and carry on since they’re not taking on an ultra-high home mortgage payment on their next house. Another reason why tenure is relatively short in Las Vegas and Orlando: They’re vacation destinations, which implies people might move in and out for short-term job opportunity. Investors are also drawing back from Las Vegas and Orlando, which means some of them are selling homes and adding to turnover.
Tenure Rose in Many U.S. Metros From 2024 to 2025
Property owner tenure increased in 28 of the 41 cities in this analysis from 2024 to 2025, led by Los Angeles, Denver and Raleigh, NC.
It stayed the exact same in one metro (Richmond, VA), and decreased in 12, with the biggest drops in Chicago, Memphis, TN and Baltimore.
| Metro-Level Summary: Homeowner Period
41 most populous CBSAs in the U.S. . In order from longest typical tenure to shortest |
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| U.S. metro area | Median tenure, 2025 (in years) | Average tenure modification, 2024 to 2025 (in years) | Mean tenure modification, 2015 to 2025 (in years) | Average home-sale price | Average home-sale cost, YoY |
| Los Angeles, CA | 20.0 | 0.6 | 5.0 | $890,000 | -1.7% |
| San Jose, CA | 18.7 | 0.4 | 4.8 | $1,430,000 | -3.9% |
| Cleveland, OH | 17.8 | 0.2 | 2.9 | $230,000 | 0.0% |
| Providence, RI | 17.4 | 0.5 | 5.8 | $500,000 | 4.4% |
| San Francisco, CA | 16.5 | -0.3 | 3.4 | $1,449,000 | 3.5% |
| New Orleans, LA | 16.1 | 0.3 | 4.1 | $289,900 | 1.7% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 16.0 | -0.1 | 2.6 | $285,000 | 1.8% |
| Memphis, TN | 15.8 | -0.6 | 1.7 | $288,000 | 6.7% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 15.7 | 0.2 | 2.2 | $240,000 | 5.3% |
| Richmond, VA | 15.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | $395,000 | -1.8% |
| New York City, NY | 15.0 | -0.1 | 1.9 | $780,000 | 5.4% |
| Baltimore, MD | 14.7 | -0.5 | 1.8 | $395,500 | 2.7% |
| San Diego, CA | 14.5 | -0.1 | 1.3 | $899,500 | 2.2% |
| Hartford, CT | 13.6 | 0.1 | 2.5 | $375,000 | 4.2% |
| Chicago, IL | 13.6 | -0.9 | 1.3 | $355,000 | 4.4% |
| Washington, DC | 13.2 | -0.1 | 1.0 | $571,683 | 3.9% |
| Seattle, WA | 12.9 | -0.2 | 1.6 | $790,000 | 0.1% |
| Cincinnati, OH | 12.7 | -0.1 | 0.4 | $302,674 | 5.6% |
| Detroit, MI | 12.5 | -0.1 | -0.4 | $195,000 | 8.9% |
| Riverside, CA | 12.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | $585,000 | 0.0% |
| Buffalo, NY | 12.4 | 0.3 | 2.5 | $269,900 | 7.6% |
| Portland, OR | 12.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 | $545,000 | 1.2% |
| Sacramento, CA | 12.0 | 0.4 | -0.2 | $565,000 | -3.4% |
| Miami, FL | 11.9 | 0.3 | -0.4 | $550,000 | -4.0% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 11.5 | 0.1 | 0.8 | $265,000 | 2.5% |
| Columbus, OH | 11.4 | 0.1 | -1.1 | $340,000 | 3.0% |
| Virginia Beach, VA | 11.3 | -0.2 | -0.6 | $365,000 | 2.8% |
| Milwaukee, WI | 11.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | $330,000 | 3.1% |
| Minneapolis, MN | 10.6 | 0.2 | -0.9 | $383,000 | 2.1% |
| Denver, CO | 10.2 | 0.6 | -0.4 | $569,999 | -0.9% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 10.0 | 0.2 | -2.2 | $370,000 | -2.6% |
| Birmingham, AL | 9.7 | 0.1 | -1.4 | $291,000 | 0.4% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 9.5 | 0.4 | -1.2 | $469,000 | 0.9% |
| Atlanta, GA | 9.5 | 0.3 | -2.1 | $385,000 | -2.3% |
| Tampa, FL | 9.5 | 0.3 | -2.1 | $385,000 | 1.3% |
| Nashville, TN | 9.3 | 0.5 | -0.6 | $460,000 | 0.0% |
| Raleigh, NC | 9.3 | 0.5 | -1.0 | $425,000 | -3.1% |
| Orlando, FL | 9.2 | 0.4 | -2.1 | $400,000 | -1.2% |
| Charlotte, NC | 9.2 | 0.4 | -1.6 | $410,000 | 3.8% |
| Las Vegas, NV | 8.8 | 0.4 | -2.0 | $445,000 | 1.4% |
| Louisville, KY | 8.3 | 0.4 | 2.2 | $276,250 | 5.3% |