Texas Border Business
The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area has been named the second-most-accessible market in the nation for young homebuyers, according to a 2026 analysis by ConsumerAffairs that examined homeownership rates and mortgage lending activity across the 100 most populous U.S. metro areas.
The study found that 46.3% of all home purchase loans issued in the McAllen metro area went to buyers under age 35, the highest share of any metro in the country. The region also posted the second-highest homeownership rate among residents under 35 at –20.1%– trailing only Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Supporting the strong performance is McAllen metro’s median home sale price of $209,859, the lowest of any of the 100 metros analyzed, and a heavy reliance on FHA financing, with 48.9% of FHA loans in the region going to buyers under 35.
“This ranking confirms what we see every day in McAllen, a community where young families and first-time buyers can still find a realistic path to homeownership,” said Elizabeth Suarez, president and CEO of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and McAllen Economic Development Corporation. “Our affordability, combined with a growing economy and strong job opportunities, is giving the next generation a reason to put down roots here. This is exactly the kind of quality-of-life story that strengthens our case to employers, and site selectors looking at the Rio Grande Valley.”
Nationally, homeownership among buyers under 35 has shown signs of slowing after several years of growth, with the under-35 ownership rate dipping 0.4% between 2023 and 2024 amid rising home prices and mortgage rates. Against that backdrop, McAllen metro’s affordability and lending activity stand out, particularly among large Texas metros; McAllen outranked every other major Texas market in the study except El Paso, which placed fourth.
The McAllen Chamber of Commerce points to the finding as further evidence of the region’s affordability advantage, a message the organization continues to promote to prospective residents, employers and investors evaluating the Rio Grande Valley.
Follow the link below to read the original article:
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/where-is-homeownership-most-accessible-for-young-people.html
Information Source: The City of McAllen Chamber of Commerce / McAllen EDC
