Maptitude Featured Map Infographic:
Homeowners with No Mortgage by State

Maptitude is the best mapping software for business intelligence! Maptitude mapping software allows you to incorporate data from numerous sources into your maps. We mapped the share of owner-occupied homes that carry no mortgage. Above 50% means most homeowners in the state own outright, and only three places clear that mark: Puerto Rico (63.0%), West Virginia (53.9%), and Mississippi (50.6%). The median state is 39.9%. The District of Columbia (24.3%), Maryland (29.0%), and Colorado (30.6%) rank lowest.

Every state near the top is a low-cost rural market where homes are more often bought outright or inherited (see the companion county map for a more granular look at the rural/urban divide). Furthermore, states with older populations are more likely to have finished paying their mortgage. Notably, Puerto Rico, Maine, Vermont, Florida, and West Virginia, the five states and territories with the highest shares of retiree-age residents, all exceed the national median.

It may be tempting to read a high share as accumulated wealth, but this map measures how far mortgage lending reaches into a housing market, not how much equity sits behind it. Pair this data with median home value to separate owners who have real borrowing capacity from owners who simply have an inexpensive house and no debt.

Note: The counts cover owner-occupied homes only, so renters are excluded and this is not a measure of statewide wealth. Values are 2024 5-Year American Community Survey estimates, which describe a five-year period rather than a single point in time.