In a trend that is likely to impact the size of the domestic moving market in the United States, homeowners are staying put nearly twice as long as they used to.
News Nation reported that according to figures from property website Redfin, the typical American homeowner now lives in their house for 12 years, up from 6.5 years in 2005. The longest ownership is those in Los Angeles who hold onto their houses for 20 years with the shortest in Louisville and Las Vegas. Redfin said that this is not a new trend but average homeownership tenure has climbed steadily to a peak of 13.4 years in 2020.
“High mortgage rates and home prices perpetuate a cycle that locks up housing inventory,” said Chen Zhao, Redfin’s Head of Economics Research. “It can keep existing homeowners in place and financially discourage them from moving to a different home or a different neighborhood.”
The 10 major metropolitan area where homeowners are staying in place the longest as of 2025, were as follows:
- Los Angeles, CA: 20.0 years
- San Jose, CA: 18.7 years
- Cleveland, OH: 17.8 years
- Providence, RI: 17.4 years
- San Francisco, CA: 16.5 years
- New Orleans, LA: 16.1 years
- Philadelphia, PA: 16.0 years
- Memphis, TN: 15.8 years
- Pittsburgh, PA: 15.7 years
- Richmond, VA: 15.5 years