What is the average size of a mortgage in Canada?
In the third quarter of 2023, the average size of a mortgage amounted to 338,522 Canadian dollars, down from 366,163 in the second quarter of 2022, when the highest figure was recorded. Mortgages varied in size in different metropolitan areas, with Toronto and Vancouver seeing the highest value of new mortgages.
Mortgage Type | Under 35 years | 35 to 44 years |
---|---|---|
Mortgage on principal residence | $256,916 | $394,040 |
Mortgage on other real estate | $47,715 | $72,736 |
Total | $304,631 | $466,776 |
The average size of a home purchase mortgage obtained through the LendingTree platform in the 12 months ending in October 2023 was $224,398. Average loan sizes were highest in Hawaii ($464,994), the District of Columbia ($355,986) and Massachusetts ($309,490).
Five-year fixed rate mortgages alone outnumber all variable rate mortgages combined. In fact, five-year fixed rate mortgages are so popular that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) uses the Bank of Canada's (BoC) five-year benchmark posted rate for its mortgage stress test.
While 25-year mortgages are the most common among Canadian homeowners, 30-year mortgages have their appeal, too. With a 30-year mortgage, you'll get lower monthly payments and more flexibility than you might with a mortgage that amortizes over 25 years. But you might also pay more for your home overall.
Beyond Alberta and British Columbia, the survey found the average age respondents expected to be mortgage-free ranged from 56 years in Quebec to 57 years in Atlantic Canada and Ontario and 58 years in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. CIBC says even small efforts can lead to big savings for homeowners in the long run.
North American households owe a significant amount of money. Canadians owed a total of $2.34 trillion as of Q2, with an average credit card balance of $4,000 according to TransUnion. The New York Fed reports that US household debt sat around $17.06 trillion in Q2, with total credit card debts in excess of $1 trillion.
Average mortgage and HELOC debt in 2023
How much mortgage debt does the average American have? The average mortgage debt among Americans is $244,498, per Experian's 2023 State of Credit Report. That's up from the average mortgage debt reported by Experian in 2022: $232,545.
Today, nearly 95 percent of existing U.S. mortgages have fixed interest rates; of those, more than three-quarters are for 30-year terms. No one set out to make the 30-year mortgage the standard.
Debt type | Average balance (2023, Q3) | Total Balance (2023, Q4) |
---|---|---|
Mortgage debt (Excluding HELOCs) | $244,498 | $12.25 trillion |
HELOCs | $42,139 | $360 billion |
Auto loan | $23,792 | $1.61 trillion |
Credit card debt | $6,501 | $1.13 trillion |
Are mortgages the same in Canada as us?
One of the key differences between Canadian and U.S. mortgages is the length of the term: In the U.S. your mortgage term spans the length of the amortization period. So at the end of the term, the mortgage will have been paid in full.
What Is the Highest Mortgage Interest Rate in History? The highest mortgage rate in Canadian history was 21.75% in August 1981 for a 5-year fixed mortgage. This rate stayed at this all-time high until October 1981 before decreasing rapidly over the following months.
While you can get a 30-year mortgage in Canada, most mortgages will feature a 25-year amortization period. This is primarily because CMHC only offers mortgage default insurance coverage for mortgages with a maximum amortization period of 25 years.
One of the biggest reasons longer-term fixed-rate mortgages are less common in Canada is that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, will only insure your mortgage if you have no longer than a 25-year amortization period, meaning the total life of your mortgage cannot exceed 25 years.
It's common to think of mortgages as having a 25-year amortization, but more and more lenders are now offering 35-year mortgages in Canada.
Getting a 40-Year Mortgage
Canada's major banks do not offer 40-year mortgages. To get a 40-year mortgage, you'll need to go with an alternative lender, such as a private mortgage lender. Equitable Bank also offers 40-year mortgages with a third-party lender.
What is the average salary in Canada? The average salary for a full-time worker in Canada is $63,013 per year or $1,211 per week. This marks a 4% increase in salary growth than the previous year. The majority of Canadians are earning more than they earned in the previous years.
Canada's reliance on consumer spending as a key source of economic growth has contributed to greater debt burdens, with the highest household debt in the G7. Likewise, housing has been a double-edged sword—critical for wealth creation for middle-class households, but also leading to imbalances between assets and debt.
What country is the US most in debt to?
With $1.1 trillion in Treasury holdings, Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt.
White people, on average, are more likely to have mortgage debt than Black people, but Black people are more likely to have credit card debt (Dettling et al., 2017).
Average American Credit Card Debt
The Federal Reserve study does not provide numbers for the average credit card balance per consumer. However, according to Transunion, this figure rose from $5,795 in January 2023 to $6,295 in January 2024.
In the U.S., the average credit score is 716, per Experian's latest data from the second quarter of 2023. And when you break down the average credit score by age, the typical American is hovering near or above that score.
Credit card debt in America by the numbers
In short, that amounts to an average balance of $5,733 per cardholder. Eye-watering, to say the least–and the fact that many of us carry no balances makes this statistical average even more alarming.
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