Where are young service members and veterans choosing to call home? A new report from Veterans United Home Loans broke down the numbers, showcasing the cities that saw the biggest jump in millennial and Gen Z service-member buyers in Fiscal Year 2019.
To narrow down the top locations, Veterans United Home Loan looked at the VA’s purchase loan volume for both the millennial and Gen Z generations for 2019, comparing them to the volume for those same demographics in the preceding year.
Here are the top 10 locations:
1. Jacksonville, N.C.
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 2,501
Year-Over-Year Growth: 44.4%
2. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 2,219
Year-Over-Year Growth: 25%
3. Oklahoma City, Okla.
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 1,561
Year-Over-Year Growth: 20.5%
4. El Paso, Texas
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 1,237
Year-Over-Year Growth: 20.4%
5. Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Fla.
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 1,578
Year-Over-Year Growth: 19.7%
6. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 1,246
Year-Over-Year Growth: 17.3%
7. Jacksonville, Fla.
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 2,623
Year-Over-Year Growth: 17.2%
8. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 2,295
Year-Over-Year Growth: 17.2%
9. Augusta-Richmond County, Ga.
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 1,452
Year-Over-Year Growth: 16.5%
10. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.
VA Purchase Loans (2019): 2,025
Year-Over-Year Growth: 14.7%
“Millennial and Generation Z veterans are turning to VA loans in huge numbers to put down roots in communities across the country,” Chris Birk, director of Education at Veterans United Home Loans, tells Housecall. “These two demographics accounted for 45 percent of all VA purchase loans in Fiscal Year 2019.
“This hard-earned home loan benefit means they don’t have to spend years saving for a down payment or building top-tier credit, two big hurdles for their civilian counterparts,” adds Birk. “Also, many younger veterans and service members aren’t buried under tremendous student loan debt, which is another serious obstacle for millennial and Gen Z civilians hoping to become homeowners.”
To read the entire report, visit www.veteransunited.com.
Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s associate content editor. RISMedia is the residential real estate industry’s definitive source for news and information. Email Liz your real estate news ideas at ldominguez@rismedia.com.
