10-Year Housing Surge on the Horizon?

The housing market is poised for one of its largest expansions in history. By 2024, demographic and economic changes are forecasted to bring 15.9 million additional households on board, according to a new study released by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

That means an average of 1.6 million additional households per year, sparking “housing market growth over the next decade that would be among the strongest the U.S. has ever seen,” according to the report.

The MBA report says the bulk of that growth will be from increases in the number of households who are headed by those age 60 and older and households headed by age 45 and younger. Those age group increases are expected to mitigate the decline among households age 45 to 60.

“An aging population should gradually increase demand for home ownership, partially offsetting the influence of a more racially and ethnically diverse population on home ownership rates,” the MBA report notes.

The Census Bureau projects the following breakdown in ages emerging in 2024, as compared to 2014:

• 20 million more people age 60 and over than there are today (as Baby Boomers age),
• 4 million fewer people age 45 to 59 (as the large Baby Boomer cohorts are replaced by smaller Generation X cohorts) and
• 18 million more people age 18 to 44 (as smaller Generation X cohorts are replaced by larger Millennial cohorts)

Household growth is also expected to be driven by 5.5 million additional Hispanic households. For other races, 3.4 million additional non-Hispanic White households are expected to form by 2024, 2.4 million additional black households, 1.8 million more Asian households, and 730,000 additional other households.

Source: “Housing Demand,” Mortgage Bankers Association (2015)