After hitting record lows in August of 2021, mortgage interest rates have been steadily rising. Recent actions by the Federal Reserve to combat inflation have caused mortgage rates to double since the start of the year. While home prices are starting to come down, the drop is not expected to offset the price jump that occurred during the pandemic. As a result, the combination of rising rates on top of an already expensive housing market have made purchasing a home even more costly.

In 2021, the average interest rate for a 30-year mortgage was 2.96%, nearly half the average interest rate for a 30-year mortgage over the last 30 years—5.74%. The Federal Reserve began raising interest rates in March of this year, starting gradually and then more aggressively as inflation remained stubbornly high. As a result, mortgage rates are rising at their fastest pace in decades. Just recently, 30-year mortgage interest rates topped 7%.

Mortgage rates are now at the highest they’ve been in 20 years. And despite a decline in home prices, the monthly mortgage payment for a median-priced home in the U.S. remains about 50% higher than before the rate increases. While mortgage interest rates are largely determined by macroeconomic trends, prospective home buyers do have ways of securing a lower rate—including maintaining good credit and putting down a larger down payment on their home purchase.

Another factor in determining mortgage interest rates is location. Interest rates vary geographically due to local market conditions, the financial health of residents, and laws governing lenders. Across the U.S., 41.6% of all approved home purchase loans had interest rates below 3.0% in 2021. However, in some parts of the country the majority of approved mortgage loans secured rates below this figure. At the state level, North Dakota and Massachusetts had the largest share of fixed-rate mortgages with rates below 3.0% in 2021, at 58.5% and 54.8% respectively. In comparison, fewer buyers in the Southeast received favorable rates. Just 27.7% of approved mortgages in Mississippi had rates of less than 3.0%—the lowest level in the country.

To determine the U.S. states that get the best mortgage interest rates, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest data from the 2021 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The researchers ranked states according to the share of all fixed-rate mortgages with less than a 3.0% interest rate. Researchers also calculated the share of 30-year and 15-year mortgages with less than a 3.0% rate, and the median interest rate across all fixed-rate mortgages.

The analysis found that 41.4% of fixed-rate mortgages in Georgia had interest rates lower than 3.0% in 2021. Here is a summary of the data for Georgia:

• Share of fixed-rate mortgages with less than a 3.0% rate: 41.4%

• Share of 30-year mortgages with less than a 3.0% rate: 39.8%

• Share of 15-year mortgages with less than a 3.0% rate: 84.0%

• Median interest rate across all fixed-rate mortgages: 3.1%

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Share of fixed-rate mortgages with less than a 3.0% rate: 41.6%

• Share of 30-year mortgages with less than a 3.0% rate: 40.5%

• Share of 15-year mortgages with less than a 3.0% rate: 80.2%

• Median interest rate across all fixed-rate mortgages: 3.1%

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Construction Coverage’s website: https://constructioncoverage.com/research/cities-that-get-the-best-mortgage-rates-2022