Northeast and Midwest See Rising Down Payments While the South Lags, According to Realtor.com®

Rhea-AI Summary

Realtor.com's latest report reveals significant regional disparities in U.S. home down payments during 2024. The Northeast and Midwest regions experienced substantial increases, with Delaware leading at 38.6% growth ($49,000), followed by Rhode Island (32.8%) and Maine (32.0%). In contrast, Southern and Western states saw declines, particularly in pandemic boom areas like Texas (-16.5%) and Florida (-14.1%).

At the metro level, San Diego topped the growth chart with a 33.7% increase in median down payments, reaching $150,407. Other notable increases occurred in Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. Conversely, Cape Coral, Florida, experienced the largest decline (-31.2%). Only 21 of the 100 largest U.S. metros saw falling down payments, indicating persistent competitive conditions nationwide.

The trend reflects a market reshaped by high interest rates, where financially prepared buyers are putting down more money, especially in competitive regions with inventory.

Delaware leads the nation with a 38.6% rise in median down payments, reaching $49,000, followed by Rhode Island (+32.8%) and Maine (+32.0%)

AUSTIN, Texas, April 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Homebuyers across the U.S. put down more money than ever in 2024, setting a new record for both down payment size and percentage of purchase price. But a closer look at the data in a new report from Realtor.com^® shows a divided market: while down payments soared in the Northeast and Midwest, they declined in several Southern and Western states, reflecting shifting market dynamics.

The latest data shows that in states such as Delaware and Rhode Island, down payments surged by more than 30% annually. In contrast, pandemic-era boom states such as Texas and Florida saw double-digit declines, with down payments falling as much as 16.5% year over year.

"Today's high-rate environment is reshaping the homebuying landscape," said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst, Realtor.com^®. "Higher borrowing costs and affordability pressures have led to a market where financially prepared buyers are putting more money down, especially in competitive regions with limited inventory."

States with Rising and Falling Down Payments

The states where down payments have grown the most are almost all in either the Northeast or the Midwest. The Northeast and Midwest saw the largest increases, with Delaware leading the nation at a 38.6% rise in median down payments, reaching $49,000, followed by Rhode Island at 32.8% and Maine at 32.0%.

"The Midwest and Northeast continue to see intense buyer demand. Both suffer from relatively severe housing supply gaps due to low construction relative to buyer demand, which has driven prices higher and led to more competitive market conditions," said Jones. "The supply gap improved only slightly in the Midwest in 2024, but continued to grow in the Northeast. Climbing prices and competitive housing conditions are likely to continue in these regions until housing supply and affordability improve."

Many of the states where down payments have fallen are in the South and West. Only eight of the 50 states saw down payments fall in 2024. Texas and Florida saw the biggest drops, with Texas' median down payment falling 16.5% to $15,350 and Florida's declining 14.1% to $27,566. Several states that boomed during the pandemic, such as Montana (-8.1%), Wyoming (-3.4%), Tennessee (-2.0%), and North Carolina (-0.2%) have experienced a similar softening.

Metros with Rising and Falling Down Payments

The San Diego metro saw the biggest increase in down payments annually in 2024, followed by Cincinnati, New Orleans,  Philadelphia, and Akron, Ohio where home prices have generally climbed, which accounts for some of the increase in down payment amounts.

In many of the metros where down payments climbed the most, buyers put down less than the national median of $30,250. Lower down payments allow for more dramatic percent growth, which is one explanation for the number of affordable markets on the list. Also, affordable markets have surged in popularity in today's challenging housing market, resulting in home price growth and increased competition, both of which drive down payments higher.

Metros with Highest Change in Down Payment ($) 2024

Metro	2024 Avg Down Payment %	YY (percentage pts)	2024 Median Down Payment $	% chg yy	Sales Price yy
San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif.	21.2 %	2.0 %	$150,407	33.7 %	7.2 %
Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.	13.6 %	1.3 %	$23,517	32.8 %	9.4 %
New Orleans-Metairie, La.	11.4 %	1.1 %	$14,658	32.7 %	3.5 %
Philadelphia et al, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.	16.6 %	1.6 %	$52,406	32.3 %	5.2 %
Akron, Ohio	12.9 %	1.3 %	$17,551	32.1 %	6.5 %
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV	13.9 %	0.4 %	$37,525	31.9 %	3.1 %
Cleveland, Ohio	13.2 %	1.4 %	$18,743	30.9 %	7.7 %
Jackson, Miss.	10.5 %	0.5 %	$9,943	30.4 %	3.4 %
Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.	12.2 %	1.8 %	$15,059	29.8 %	-0.4 %
New Haven-Milford, Conn.	16.0 %	0.4 %	$46,988	29.2 %	9.0 %
Little Rock et al, Ark.	10.7 %	0.1 %	$11,772	27.3 %	5.6 %

Almost all of the markets where down payments have fallen the most are in Florida or Texas;  Tucson, Ariz. and Memphis, Tenn., are the only metros represented that are not in Texas or Florida.

Cape Coral, Fla., topped the list with a 31.2% decline in down payments in 2024. Buyers in these metros put down between 9.1% and 31.2% less than the previous year in 2024. The decline is due in part to stagnant or falling home prices and generally, these markets saw significant demand during the pandemic, but have since cooled off.

Only 21 of the 100 largest U.S. metros saw falling down payments in 2024. This small share speaks to the still-competitive conditions and still-climbing sale prices in much of the country.

Metros with Declines in Down Payment ($) 2024

Metro	2024 Avg Down Payment %	YY (percentage pts)	2024 Median Down Payment $	% chg yy	Sales Price yy
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.	13.3 %	-2.7 %	$21,328	-31.2 %	-1.2 %
Jacksonville, Fla.	13.0 %	-1.6 %	$20,892	-27.8 %	1.5 %
Deltona-Daytona Beach et al, Fla.	15.6 %	-1.0 %	$25,816	-17.4 %	0.0 %
Palm Bay-Melbourne et al, Fla.	13.6 %	-1.0 %	$21,137	-17.3 %	-0.7 %
Tucson, Ariz.	13.5 %	-0.8 %	$21,834	-15.5 %	1.7 %
Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark.	9.6 %	-0.9 %	$8,251	-15.4 %	-2.4 %
Austin-Round Rock, Texas	14.7 %	-0.9 %	$44,817	-13.0 %	-2.6 %
San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	7.4 %	-0.9 %	$5,388	-10.8 %	-2.2 %
Tampa-St. Petersburg et al, Fla.	14.0 %	-0.9 %	$30,961	-9.7 %	1.3 %
Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.	8.0 %	-1.2 %	$6,489	-9.1 %	-2.1 %

Looking Ahead

Down payments are expected to remain elevated in high-demand areas with limited inventory, while markets in the South and West may continue to see softening trends.

"Buyers who can afford higher down payments will likely remain dominant in competitive regions, but affordability concerns may drive more shifts in 2025," added Jones.

State-level Down Payments 2024

State Name	2024 Avg Down Payment %	YY (percentage pts)	2024 Median Down Payment $	% chg yy	Sales Price yy
Alabama	10.6 %	0.5 %	8,207	4.7 %	-0.3 %
Alaska	11.0 %	-0.2 %	20,972	14.8 %	3.3 %
Arizona	14.6 %	0.0 %	32,839	8.1 %	1.1 %
Arkansas	11.7 %	0.5 %	12,532	18.7 %	7.3 %
California	18.6 %	0.5 %	93,633	18.4 %	6.8 %
Colorado	17.5 %	0.1 %	73,415	11.0 %	1.8 %
Connecticut	16.8 %	0.8 %	51,369	24.0 %	9.8 %
Delaware	18.5 %	2.4 %	49,219	38.6 %	2.0 %
District of Columbia	19.7 %	-1.9 %	93,559	-7.5 %	3.5 %
Florida	14.2 %	-1.0 %	27,566	-14.1 %	0.8 %
Georgia	12.0 %	0.2 %	16,724	7.5 %	4.7 %
Hawaii*	18.0 %	2.7 %	93,928	69.1%*	-6.8 %
Idaho	19.2 %	-0.4 %	56,166	1.7 %	1.6 %
Illinois	14.4 %	0.6 %	30,561	15.7 %	7.7 %
Indiana	13.0 %	0.6 %	17,934	12.3 %	-0.3 %
Iowa	16.1 %	0.6 %	28,721	14.3 %	7.3 %
Kansas	13.1 %	1.1 %	19,528	26.9 %	-1.6 %
Kentucky	13.0 %	0.4 %	17,390	15.9 %	8.7 %
Louisiana	9.3 %	0.4 %	6,582	3.1 %	2.4 %
Maine	17.3 %	1.9 %	42,185	32.0 %	6.9 %
Maryland	12.5 %	0.4 %	25,309	9.2 %	5.4 %
Massachusetts	18.6 %	-0.1 %	76,969	1.6 %	10.3 %
Michigan	14.0 %	0.4 %	22,610	15.5 %	9.9 %
Minnesota	15.7 %	0.5 %	38,231	7.8 %	4.8 %
Mississippi	8.8 %	-0.1 %	6,191	6.5 %	11.6 %
Missouri	12.9 %	0.6 %	18,176	20.4 %	4.3 %
Montana	18.7 %	-1.4 %	60,703	-8.1 %	4.6 %
Nebraska	14.8 %	0.3 %	26,651	11.7 %	9.6 %
Nevada	14.7 %	0.4 %	39,673	27.9 %	4.4 %
New Hampshire	20.7 %	1.4 %	76,055	21.5 %	9.2 %
New Jersey	19.0 %	1.2 %	80,105	23.8 %	9.8 %
New Mexico	12.5 %	0.5 %	17,938	5.8 %	20.0 %
New York	17.5 %	0.6 %	54,682	16.0 %	7.5 %
North Carolina	14.2 %	0.1 %	27,646	-0.2 %	3.7 %
North Dakota	14.8 %	1.1 %	25,292	13.5 %	8.9 %
Ohio	12.5 %	0.8 %	17,474	27.9 %	8.3 %
Oklahoma	11.9 %	0.1 %	13,327	2.1 %	5.6 %
Oregon	16.9 %	0.0 %	55,397	9.0 %	3.0 %
Pennsylvania	14.7 %	1.0 %	27,991	20.4 %	6.2 %
Rhode Island	17.4 %	1.1 %	57,952	32.8 %	10.5 %
South Carolina	14.6 %	0.4 %	21,179	2.1 %	1.5 %
South Dakota	15.4 %	0.2 %	28,312	-13.0 %	#N/A
Tennessee	13.7 %	-0.5 %	23,326	-2.0 %	3.8 %
Texas	11.3 %	-0.6 %	15,350	-16.5 %	0.0 %
Utah	16.0 %	0.7 %	45,562	12.6 %	0.2 %
Vermont	17.8 %	0.1 %	51,411	20.7 %	7.4 %
Virginia	13.8 %	0.6 %	30,810	15.2 %	4.8 %
Washington	18.1 %	1.0 %	85,362	19.9 %	8.2 %
West Virginia	9.7 %	0.7 %	7,412	15.2 %	15.9 %
Wisconsin	15.5 %	1.0 %	33,230	24.0 %	9.1 %
Wyoming	14.7 %	-0.9 %	25,855	-3.4 %	2.0 %

*Hawaii may have a quality issue so has been excluded from the ranking.

Methodology
Down payment trends analyzed at the national and top 100 metro levels through Q4 of 2024 using Optimal Blue data. Down payment as a share of the sale price is calculated as an average across the data. Down payment as a dollar amount is calculated by taking the median across the data. All comparisons are between 2023 and 2024 unless otherwise stated.

About Realtor.com^®
Realtor.com^® pioneered online real estate and has been at the forefront for over 25 years, connecting buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights, professional guidance and powerful tools to help them find their perfect home. Recognized as the No. 1 site trusted by real estate professionals, Realtor.com^® is a valued partner, delivering consumer connections and a robust suite of marketing tools to support business growth. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc.

Media Contact: Mallory Micetich, press@realtor.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northeast-and-midwest-see-rising-down-payments-while-the-south-lags-according-to-realtorcom-302424098.html

SOURCE Realtor.com

FAQ

What was the highest down payment increase by state in 2024?

Delaware led with a 38.6% increase in median down payments, reaching $49,000.

Which U.S. metro area saw the largest down payment growth in 2024?

San Diego-Carlsbad, California saw the biggest increase with a 33.7% rise to $150,407.

How many of the top 100 U.S. metros experienced declining down payments in 2024?

Only 21 of the 100 largest U.S. metros saw falling down payments in 2024.

Which states saw the biggest drops in down payments during 2024?

Texas had the largest decline (-16.5% to $15,350), followed by Florida (-14.1% to $27,566).

What was the national median down payment in 2024?

The national median down payment was $30,250.