A survey conducted by the Federal Reserve on American households found 74 percent of homeowners reported “doing okay” economically or “living comfortably.”
In contrast, only 48 percent of renters responded positively. The numbers come from the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED), which the NAHB reports was first conducted in 2013.
A majority of renter respondents, 81 percent, indicated that they would prefer to own if they could afford to do so. Of this number, 50 percent of renters reported that they lack the funds for a down payment, while 31 percent of renters noted that they could not qualify for a mortgage.