The Census Bureau reports that the overall U.S. homeownership rate dropped slightly in the second quarter — it’s now at 65.5%, compared to 65.9% in 2011.

The South did better than average; 67.4% of people here own, down from 68.2% in 2011.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/qtr212/hown212.png

Related to that, here’s a boring chart showing U.S. homeownership rates by age (click to enlarge):

image

Boring because there are no surprises, and it fits conventional wisdom.

Note, though, how steep the line is from <25 to 44 years, after which it levels out. So maybe we can say that if you don’t own by the time you’re in your mid-40s, there’s less of a chance you’ll ever own. Or maybe not.