How Many Retirees Still Have a Mortgage at 65, 70 and 75?

At 75 and older, one in four households is still making a mortgage payment. Back in 1989, it was closer to one in seventeen. So if you're past 65 and still paying, are you behind, or in better company than you think? We ran the numbers ourselves from the Federal Reserve's 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, and checked five things people believe about retirees with a mortgage: that most have paid off their homes, that the ones still paying didn't plan, that it's just a small leftover balance, that the payment is crushing them, and that they could simply pay it off. How we calculated: we used the Fed's public SCF summary files for 2025, plus 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2022 for the trend, weighting every household as the Fed does. Age is the age of the household head. "Mortgage" means a loan secured by the primary home, not counting home equity lines, which are shown separately. Payment-to-income uses the monthly mortgage payment and total household income before taxes. Narrow age bands hold fewer households, so treat those figures as approximate. The three households in the video are illustrative, with round numbers. Chapters: 0:00 1 in 4 at 75+ 0:20 Where do you fit? Three boxes 1:32 Myth 1: Most retirees have paid off their homes 2:18 1989 vs. today 3:16 Myth 2: Retirees with a mortgage didn't plan 4:38 Myth 3: It's just a small leftover balance 5:06 The mortgage ladder 7:12 Myth 4: The payment is crushing them 8:02 Couples vs. singles 9:03 Where do you fit? Payment ÷ income 9:23 Myth 5: They could just pay it off 10:47 Why your interest rate matters 11:28 The renters 12:11 Three illustrative households 14:03 The 5 myths vs. the data 14:40 The three numbers that matter 15:02 About the numbers Sources: Federal Reserve Board, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (released October 2026), public summary files; historical files for 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2022: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econre... Social Security Administration, Medicare premiums and income-related adjustments (IRMAA): https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare... U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD-approved housing counselors: https://www.hud.gov/counseling This video is for education and general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Your rate, your taxes and your state can change the answer. Researched with AI tools, reviewed and edited by a human before publishing. Frank is an animated narrator with an AI-generated voice. #retirement #mortgage #retireemath