Methodology

To determine mortgage rates for the last 50 years, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed historical mortgage data from Freddie Mac. We listed the annual average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for each year. Data on average annual monthly mortgage payment each year was calculated using average annual sale prices of new, single-family homes that year from the U.S. Census Bureau – assuming an average down payment of 12%, per the National Association of Realtors – adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index for all urban consumers. Data on homeownership rates came from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and Housing Vacancy Survey.