Mortgage rate history: 1972 to 2026

Mortgage rate history: 1972 to 2026 Mortgage rate history: 1972 to 2026 · bankrate_626 Andrew Dehan July 14, 2026 9 min read Key takeaways As of July 9, 2026, the average rate for a 30-year, fixed loan was 6.49% — up from the beginning of the year, and only a touch lower than the 2025 average of 6.66%. Over the past four decades, the 30-year fixed rate ranged from a 2021 low of 2.65% to a 1981 high above 18%. The average 30-year fixed rate bottomed in 2021 at just under 3%. 87% of all borrowers in 2025 paid more than the most competitive rate available to them, according to Bankrate's Hidden Homeownership Tax research — meaning rate history matters less to your bill than whether you actually shopped your own rate.

The residential mortgage as we know it today is less than a century old. In fact, until the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was established in 1934, only one in 10 Americans even owned a home. That all changed with the introduction of the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage during the Great Depression, which made homeownership possible for millions.

Recent changes in mortgage rates have put a strain on the housing market. Historically low rates at the start of the 2020s led to a surge in home prices, and rates have stayed consistently between 6% and 7% since the Federal Reserve raised rates in 2022. However, home prices remain high.

This combination of climbing prices with higher-than-recent rates has made housing affordability a major problem. Mortgage rates over time Average 30-year fixed mortgage rate by year Here is a timeline of the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate by year. Bankrate first began aggregating rate data in 1982; all data prior was sourced from Freddie Mac.

The 2026 average is through July 9. Year 30-year fixed-rate average 2026 6.28% 2025 6.66% 2024 6.90% 2023 7.00% 2022 5.53% 2021 3.15% 2020 3.38% 2019 4.13% 2018 4.70% 2017 4.14% 2016 3.79% 2015 3.99% 2014 4.31% 2013 4.16% 2012 3.88% 2011 4.65% 2010 4.86% 2009 5.38% 2008 6.23% 2007 6.40% 2006 6.47% 2005 5.93% 2004 5.88% 2003 5.89% 2002 6.57% 2001 7.01% 2000 8.08% 1999 7.46% 1998 6.91% 1997 7.57% 1996 7.76% 1995 7.86% 1994 8.28% 1993 7.17% 1992 8.27% 1991 9.09% 1990 9.97% 1989 10.25% 1988 10.38% 1987 10.40% 1986 10.39% 1985 12.43% 1984 13.88% 1983 13.24% 1982 16.06% 1981 16.64%* 1980 13.74%* 1979 11.20%* 1978 9.64%* 1977 8.85%* 1976 8.87%* 1975 9.05%* 1974 9.19%* 1973 8.04%* 1972 7.38%* * Freddie Mac rate data Current mortgage rates As of July 14, 2026, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.64%, per Bankrate's lender survey. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, a separate weekly benchmark based on conforming purchase loans with 20% down and strong credit, put the 30-year fixed average at 6.49% as of July 9, 2026 — up from 6.43% the week before and down from 6.72% a year earlier.

Story Continues Rates fell through most of the first two months of 2026, bottoming at a 2026 low of 6.01% on Feb. 19 — the lowest weekly average since September 2022. They've climbed back into the mid-6% range since, as persistent inflation and Treasury yields have kept upward pressure on mortgage pricing. You don't have to accept the first rate you're quoted.