LendingTree®, the nation's leading online loan marketplace, today released its study on down payment affordability by state, ranking the states with the highest and lowest average down payment and down payment percentages for conventional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages.

Its findings included:

  • Average down payment percentages for conventional 30-year, fixed-rate purchase mortgage offers stayed about the same from the second quarter to the third quarter, rising 0.03 percentage points (18.02 percent to 18.05 percent).
  • At the same time, average down payment amounts decreased nearly 10 percent in the third quarter, falling from $52,480 to $47,265.
  • The average loan amount offered to potential home buyers fell around $28,000 from $285,903 in Q2 to $257,749 in Q3.

"The average down payment on a U.S. home fell in the third quarter, though down payments as a percentage of purchase price remained about the same," said Tendayi Kapfidze, chief economist at LendingTree. "Every quarter, LendingTree, the nation's leading online loan marketplace, compares the average down payment percentages and amounts for conventional 30-year, fixed-rate purchase mortgage offers across the country. By finding these averages, we hope to give potential home buyers an idea of what they can expect to put down when buying a home."

As for the states:

The lowest average down payments, by percentage:

Alaska

Average down payment percentage: 15.41%Average offered down payment: $36,476
Average offered loan amount: $236,643

West Virginia

Average down payment percentage: 15.44%Average offered down payment: $21,415
Average offered loan amount: $138,696

Mississippi

Average down payment percentage: 15.78%Average offered down payment: $22,964
Average offered loan amount: $145,523

The lowest average down payments, by amount:

West Virginia

Average down payment percentage: 15.44%Average offered down payment: $21,415
Average offered loan amount: $138,696

Arkansas

Average down payment percentage: 15.90%Average offered down payment: $21,707
Average offered loan amount: $136,505

South Dakota

Average down payment percentage: 18.38%Average offered down payment: $22,149
Average offered loan amount: $120,529

The highest average down payments, by percentage:

California

Average down payment percentage: 21.44%Average offered down payment: $97,809
Average offered loan amount: $454,146

Hawaii

Average down payment percentage: 21.32%Average offered down payment: $69,923
Average offered loan amount: $328,046

Delaware

Average down payment percentage: 21.29%Average offered down payment: $51,678
Average offered loan amount: $242,735

The highest average down payments, by amount:

California:

Average down payment percentage: 22.44%Average offered down payment: $97,809
Average offered loan amount: $456,146

Washington, D.C.

Average down payment percentage: 19.84%Average offered down payment: $91,397
Average offered loan amount: $460,685

New York

Average down payment percentage: 19.85%Average offered down payment: $90,318
Average offered loan amount: $454,968