Homeownership and Housing Equity in the Mid-Twentieth Century

Carola Frydman; Raven Molloy; Austin Palis

doi:10.17016/2380-7172.3869

September 24, 2025FEDS Notes

Homeownership and Housing Equity in the Mid-Twentieth Century

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Key Points

The US homeownership rate surged by 20 percentage points between 1940 and 1960, reshaping wealth distribution.
This period marks the most substantial shift in homeownership rates over the last century, significantly impacting family wealth.
Understanding these trends in homeownership helps clarify shifts in aggregate household wealth in America during the mid-20th century.
The analysis highlights the growing importance of housing as a wealth component for American families during the 1900s.

Implication

Analysis of housing equity trends reveals a significant 20-point increase in homeownership across American households.

Abstract

Housing is an important component of wealth for most American households (Bricker, Moore and Thompson 2019; Kuhn et al., 2020), so studying trends in homeownership can shed light on changes in aggregate household wealth and how it is distributed across families. The aggregate US homeownership rate increased by 20 percentage points from 1940 to 1960, the largest change in American homeownership in the past 100 years.

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Cite This Study

Frydman et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68dc1e308a7d58c25ebb1444 https://doi.org/10.17016/2380-7172.3869

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Homeownership and Housing Equity in the Mid-Twentieth Century

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Homeownership and Housing Equity in the Mid-Twentieth Century

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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