There is no specific age to pay off your mortgage, but a common rule of thumb is to be debt-free by your early to mid-60s.
40% of Americans Pay Off Their House — Are They Doing Better Financially? For most Americans, a home mortgage is the biggest financial obligation they will ever have. A traditional mortgage spans 30 years and is often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, so the interest charges can be enormous.
More Americans are entering retirement with mortgaged homes, and the average balance of those loans is rising. The share of Americans ages 75 and over who are carrying mortgage debt has risen steadily for decades, according to the federal Survey of Consumer Finances: from 5% in 1995 to a historic high of 25% in 2022.
Similarly, states along the Pacific Coast—where home values skyrocketed during the pandemic—have some of the lowest rates of free-and-clear homeownership among the working-age population. California (22.7%), Washington (22.8%), and Oregon (22.9%) sit at 45th, 44th, and 43rd out of all 50 states, respectively.
In fact, the average millionaire pays off their house in just 10.2 years. But even though you're dead set on ditching your mortgage ahead of schedule, you probably have one major question on your mind: How do I pay off my mortgage faster?
Mortgage debt remains uncommon among homeowners age 65-plus relative to their younger counterparts; in fact, the fraction of homeowners age 65-plus who had a mortgage in 2022 (34 percent) was less than half that of homeowners under age 65 (70 percent) 3.
In 2022, nearly 40% of U.S. homeowners owned their homes outright, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by Bloomberg. In total, 33.3 million single-family homes and condos were mortgage-free, a 31% increase compared to 25.4 million homes a decade ago.
It's called a mortgage. Most people get a 30-year mortgage, though 15-year mortgages are also pretty common. A lot of people pay it off in less than 30 years. We got a 30-year mortgage in 2004.
Rental prices are unaffordable for a record number of Americans, with half of all renters paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities. That's according to a new report from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies that examined 2022 census data.
For example, if you plan to travel frequently in retirement, you may want to aim for 90% to 100% of your pre-retirement income. On the other hand, if you plan to pay off your mortgage before you retire or downsize your living situation, you may be able to live comfortably on less than 80%.
Absolutely. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act's protections extend to your mortgage term. Mortgage lenders can't deny you a specific loan term on the basis of age.
The average mortgage term in the U.S. is 30 years, though many homeowners refinance or move before completing this term. Homeowners typically stay in their homes for about eight years on average. A 30-year mortgage helps keep monthly payments more affordable for borrowers.
You should aim to be completely debt-free by retirement, and after age 45 you can begin thinking more seriously about pre-paying your mortgage. The opportunity cost of paying off your mortgage before investing for retirement is very high when you are young.
One of the most significant benefits of paying off your mortgage is the peace of mind that comes with owning your home outright. Without a mortgage, you don't have to worry about monthly payments, which can be especially comforting in retirement or during economic downturns.
The Bottom Line
Nearly 40% of homes were owned outright in the U.S. between 2017 to 2022. 1 Older people who want to keep costs down as they age can benefit from not having a mortgage, as can younger individuals and families who want to live frugally while setting aside more funds for other savings and investments.
"Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary has said the ideal age to be debt-free is 45, especially if you want to retire by age 60. Being debt-free — including paying off your mortgage — by your mid-40s puts you on the early path toward success, O'Leary argued.
Determine your maximum monthly mortgage for a $70,000 salary
To calculate your maximum monthly mortgage payment, multiply your gross monthly income by 0.28. On a $70,000 income, your monthly mortgage payment should be no more than $1,633.
In 2022, researchers found that just over 40 percent of homeowners older than 64 had a mortgage, a jump from roughly 25 percent a generation ago.
Credit Card Debt. Credit card debt is one thing nearly all Americans share, regardless of race, gender or income level. It's the most common type of debt in the U.S. By the end of 2022, Americans owed an all-time high of $986 billion on credit cards, a $130 billion increase in 12 months.
Mortgage Balances Nationwide: The State of Play
The closest is California, with a June 2024 average mortgage balance of $443,000. California also leads the pack in terms of the percentage of mortgages that have a balance of $1 million or more, with 7.4% of the state's mortgages averaging $1 million-plus.
More than three-quarters of homeowners — 78.7 percent — have a mortgage rate below 5 percent, while nearly 6 in 10 — 59.4 percent — have a mortgage below 4 percent. Just 22.6 percent have a mortgage rate below 3 percent, according to Redfin.