24/7 Wall St. ranked the states by homeownership. Here are the top and bottom of the list:
50. New York: 53.7%
49. California: 54.8%
48. Nevada: 56.8%
47. Hawaii: 58.3%
46. Texas: 61.7%
5. Iowa: 71.3%
4. New Hampshire: 71.3%
3. Minnesota: 71.5%
2. Vermont: 72.2%
1. West Virginia: 72.5%
The two states with the lowest levels of homeownership are not surprising given their housing prices and large urban areas though I would guess many people would not pick Nevada and Texas to be there. On the other end, the five states with the highest homeownership rates tend to be less dense and more affordable. If, as the article before the rankings suggest, homeownership is indeed a marker of the American Dream, does that mean the people in these five states with the most homeownership are more likely to be living the American Dream? I’m guessing there would be some debate about that.