Saving for a down payment now takes 7 years, double prepandemic pace

Saving for a standard down payment on a median‑priced U.S. home now takes about seven years for the typical household, roughly twice as long as it did before the pandemic. That reflects both much larger down payments and lower household saving rates than in the 2010s.​

What the 7 years means

• Recent analysis finds the typical U.S. buyer needs about seven years of saving at today’s average savings rate to accumulate a typical down payment.​

• Before the pandemic, the norm was roughly 3–4 years, so the current timeline is about double that pace even though it has improved from an extreme peak during 2022.​

Why it takes so long now

• The typical down payment has more than doubled from about 13.9k in late 2019 to roughly 30.4k in 2025, driven by higher home prices and intense competition over the last several years.​

• At the same time, the personal saving rate has slipped to around 5% of income, below pre‑pandemic norms, which slows how quickly households can build that larger upfront cash pile.​

Big differences by location

• In many high‑cost coastal metros, saving for a typical down payment can take 20–35 or more years for a median‑income household, effectively shutting out many first‑time buyers.​

• By contrast, in more affordable Southern and Sun Belt markets (and some military hubs with widespread VA usage), typical buyers can often reach a down payment target in under five years.​

What this implies if you’re buying

• Even though mortgages have become somewhat more affordable as rates eased in 2025, larger upfront cash needs keep many would‑be buyers sidelined longer than in the past.​

• For households wanting to shorten the timeline, the data suggests focusing on lower‑cost metros, exploring low‑down‑payment or zero‑down programs, and aggressively boosting savings rate where possible.​