Single, Female Homeowners Thrive in Pennsylvania

In major metros across Pennsylvania, single females are more likely to own than their male counterparts.

The National Association of Realtors® found single women buyers were only behind married couples for homebuying rates. In the U.S., the median age for a single female buyer is 54, and single women own 2.4 million more homes than their male peers, and spend about 6% more on homes.

NAR broke down homeownership by gender for metros across the country, including several in the commonwealth. The report found that single females owned more often than their male counterparts. In the Pittsburgh metro area, the homeownership rate among single female’s is 52.7%, compared to 52% of single males. The median age of single female homebuyers is older than their male counterparts, at 68 years old, compared to 59 years old. Price-wise, the two demographics came close, single male homebuyers spent $127,001, while single female homebuyers spent $126,649.

In the Philadelphia area, which includes Camden and Wilmington, the homeownership rate for single females is 51.3%, compared to 47.5% for males. Single female homeowners are older by a decade, at 67 years old, compared to 57, and men outspend women on their homes by about $10,000, at $212, 362 verses $202, 954.

Homeownership rate for single women is higher than the rate for single men by 0.5% in the Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Hazleton area. In northeast Pennsylvania, the homeownership rate for single females is 54.6%, compared to 54.1% for single male homeowners. The median age for a single female homeowner is 69, while it is 58 for men. Single males tend to spend more on homes, the median is $127,706, compared to $120,212 for women.

In the Harrisburg and Carlisle region, single women own more than single men by 1.2%. In the area, 53.2% of single females own, while 52% of single men do. The median age of a single female homeowner is 66, while the median age for the single male owner is 60. Male homeowners spent about $5,000 more on their homes at $155,901, compared to $150,755 for women.

In the Allentown, Easton and Bethlehem metro area, the homeownership rate for single women is higher than the rate for single men by 0.3% in the area, with 55.4% of single females owning, compared to 55.1% of single males, while the median age is older for females, at 69 years old compared to 60 years old for men. The median home price is comparable, with females spending $167,679 and males spending $170,677.