Many companies featured on Money advertise with us. Opinions are our own, but compensation and
in-depth research may determine where and how companies appear. Learn more about how we make money.

  1. Housing
  2. Homeowners

Here's Who Benefited the Most From Homeownership Over the Past 10 Years

By: Leslie Cook
Leslie Cook, expert in Mortgages, housing market, home renovations, consumer credit, and Editor, Real Estate at Money
Leslie Cook
Editor, Real Estate | Joined November 2019
Leslie Cook is Money’s lead mortgage reporter covering trends in the housing market, mortgage rates and real estate. She also writes about home renovation trends and tips.
See full bio
Editor: Brad Tuttle
Brad Tuttle, expert in Personal finance, shopping, consumer trends, and Senior Editor at Money
Brad Tuttle
Senior Editor | Joined January 2014
Brad Tuttle is a senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals.
See full bio
Published: Apr 20, 2023 5 min read
Business person walking on and oversized green dollar arrow with a small house at the end
Money; Shutterstock

Homeownership has long been considered one of the best paths to building long-term wealth. A home provides safety, a tappable source of income and value that can be passed on to future generations.

Over the 10-year period between 2012 and 2022, the value of a median-priced home in the U.S. increased by $190,000, or a gain of $19,000 per year on average, according to a new study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). A typical homeowner's net worth is 40 times higher than that of a renter, NAR says.

“This analysis shows how homeownership can be a catalyst for building wealth for people from all walks of life,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR, in a press release.

But this route to wealth is not necessarily fair or evenly distributed: Some owners see their home values increase much faster than others, while certain groups are much more likely than others to own houses in the first place.

What the research says