15 Cities Where Residents Were Late on Their Mortgages during the Pandemic

Homeowners in these cities had the most difficulty making mortgage payments over the past year.

The data according to U.S. Census Bureau, homeowners in several locations may be more at risk than others to foreclosure in the coming months. The measures by Household Pulse Survey include how many adults report being behind on their mortgages. 

The state which is at the most risk is New York, with an average of 8.9% of homeowners reporting being late on their mortgage payments throughout the pandemic. 

Other states with lofty housing costs, like Hawaii (8.3%), Maryland (8.0%), and New Jersey (7.9%), rank greatly, as do many Southern states where household incomes are inferior and the economic effects of the pandemic may have been felt more sturdily.

At the metro level, comparable trends hold, with both high-cost locations, such as New York City and economically troubled locations, like Detroit, being most likely to have homeowners late on their mortgage payments.

The data used is from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in this analysis.

To decide the locations that fell late on their mortgages during COVID-19, researchers at Porch calculated the percentage of adults who reported not being present on their mortgage payments, averaged over all obtainable weeks of the Household Pulse Survey.

As such, the data represents the usual number of people who were late on their mortgages at any given time during the pandemic, rather than the increasing values. 

In the event of a tie, the location with the superior average number of adults who were behind on their mortgages was ranked higher.

These are the following are the metropolitan areas with the most residents who fell behind on their mortgages during COVID-19.

1. New York City-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 9.9%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 1,381,177
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $2,807
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 17.0%

2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 9.1%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 438,150
• Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,874
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 13.8%

3. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 8.6%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 470,720
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,815
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 14.0%

4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 8.3%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 860,103
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $2,659
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 17.9%

5. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 8.2%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 379,004
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,586
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 12.6%

6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 7.3%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 335,436
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $2,417
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 9.4%

7. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 7.3%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 297,130
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,969
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 15.2%

8. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 7.0%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 496,134
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,882
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 16.5%

9. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 6.9%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 415,481
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,870
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 12.5%

10. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 6.8%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 337,458
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,870
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 15.0%

11. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 6.6%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 231,438
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $3,237
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 13.7%

12. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 5.7%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 200,891
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,424
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 24.7%

13. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 5.7%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 221,193
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $1,540
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 13.5%

14. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 5.5%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 207,696
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $2,482
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 15.6%

15. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

• The Percentage of adults who were late on their mortgages: 5.5%
• Total adults who were late on their mortgages: 177,090
• The Median monthly owner costs for mortgage holders: $2,359
• Peak unemployment rate in 2020: 16.7%