Average age of first-time buyer in England rises to 34
Mar 18th 2026
Skipton Group's annual home affordability index shows the average first-time buyer age has climbed to 34 as deposits grow, more buyers need two incomes or family help, and affordability diverges strongly by region.
- Average age of first-time buyers in England is 34, up from 29 in the mid-1990s.
- The share of first-time buyers under 25 has fallen from about 25% in the 1990s to 6%.
- More than half of first-time buyers now need two incomes to buy, compared with 40% in the 1990s.
- Over half of first-time buyers are taking mortgages of 30 years or more.
- The average deposit is about 10% higher than a typical annual salary and the largest share of deposits still comes from personal savings.
- Almost one in three deposits include family gifts and nearly one in 10 include inheritance.
- Affordability varies sharply by area, with nine of the 10 most affordable places in Britain in Scotland and the least affordable areas concentrated in London.
- Skipton Group says many first-time buyers are buying bigger, better-quality, cheaper-to-run homes and that more are buying houses rather than flats.