More Americans Say Homeownership Is Not Attainable, KeyBank Finds

KeyBank, Cleveland, released its 2025 Financial Mobility Survey, finding that 46% of survey respondents who don’t currently own a home say it’s not attainable for them.

That’s up from 39% who said the same last year.

And, 41% of all respondents say that home ownership is generally not attainable for Americans.

Among younger respondents who don’t currently have a mortgage, 47% are spending less to try to buy a home; but, six in 10 don’t think they’ll ever own one.

However, the survey–delving into other topics such as savings, economic pressures and financial skills–generally reveals some “financial imposter syndrome” for Americans, KeyBank noted.

“Financial imposter syndrome refers to the self-doubt many people feel when it comes to their financial skills and money moves versus the actual reality of their financial picture. While Americans say they feel financial stress, they are actually closer to their personal financial comfort goals than they may realize,” the report stated.

Exactly half of Americans report feeling financially stressed, but 45% are also confident they could manage an unexpected $2,000 expense and 34% are confident they could come up with $5,000 if they need to.

The vast majority–87%–are confident they can pay their rent/mortgage every month and 70% say they can pay their credit card every month. And, 44% report not having any credit card debt.

On the other hand, 68% of Americans say they need more money to live comfortably, but 45% are less than $2,500 per month away from reaching that goal. Almost two-thirds report being stressed about debt at least sometimes, but 23% would only need to pay down $1,000 to $5,000 to not feel stressed anymore.

“Today’s landscape reveals a profound disconnect between perception and reality. And, while Americans are experiencing significant economic pressure, we’re seeing signs of remarkable resilience,” said Dan Brown, Director of Consumer Product Management at KeyBank. “We’re witnessing Americans work to rewrite their financial narrative through strategic, incremental steps that demonstrate genuine adaptability and lay a solid foundation for future financial resilience and confidence.”