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Gone quiet · last update Sep 30, 2026 / Freddie Mac

The 2026 rise in mortgage rates to their highest level in nearly three years

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

US mortgage rates climbed through the summer and fall of 2026 to their highest level in more than a year, driven by rising oil prices and stubborn inflation during the war with Iran.[1][2] In late September the average 30-year fixed rate passed 7% for the first time since January 2025, after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, and by October 1 it had reached 7.28%, according to Freddie Mac.[3][4]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

In late September the average 30-year fixed rate passed 7% for the first time since January 2025, after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, and by October 1 it had reached 7.28%, according to Freddie Mac.[3][4]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-06-29 (UTC): 1%, 8 of 569 tracked outlets (2 left, 4 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 2%, 12 of 560 tracked outlets (3 left, 5 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): 4%, 22 of 559 tracked outlets (2 left, 17 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-07-20 (UTC): 2%, 14 of 562 tracked outlets (2 left, 5 center, 7 right)Week of 2026-07-27 (UTC): 6%, 36 of 561 tracked outlets (8 left, 19 center, 9 right)Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 1%, 8 of 545 tracked outlets (3 left, 2 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): 1%, 5 of 464 tracked outlets (2 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-08-24 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 466 tracked outlets (3 left, 3 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 3%, 13 of 475 tracked outlets (3 left, 8 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): 2%, 10 of 480 tracked outlets (5 left, 5 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 5%, 24 of 480 tracked outlets (4 left, 15 center, 5 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): 9%, 41 of 479 tracked outlets (11 left, 26 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-09-28 (UTC): 6%, 30 of 476 tracked outlets (10 left, 17 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 3 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (13 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Sep 28, 20261017330 of 4766%
Sep 21, 20261126441 of 4799%
Sep 14, 2026415524 of 4805%
Sep 7, 202655010 of 4802%
Aug 31, 202638213 of 4753%
Aug 24, 20263306 of 4661%
Aug 17, 20262215 of 4641%
Aug 10, 20263238 of 5451%
Jul 27, 2026819936 of 5616%
Jul 20, 202625714 of 5622%
Jul 13, 2026217322 of 5594%
Jul 6, 202635412 of 5602%
Jun 29, 20262428 of 5691%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Sep 30, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Deseret News

    Mortgage rates just hit a 3-year high

Background

In early July the average 30-year rate fell to its lowest level since mid-May,[5] but within weeks it rose toward 6.5% and then to its highest level in nearly a year.[6][7] Five months into the war in Iran, the rate reached 6.66% at the end of July.[1] It eased slightly in August[8][9] before rising again in September to its highest in more than 14 months.[10][11]

On September 24 Freddie Mac reported that rates had passed 7%, squeezing affordability for buyers already facing higher energy costs.[2][3] A week later the average rate was 7.28%, after rising for six straight weeks.[4]

Supporting stories (11)
  1. Average 30-year US mortgage rate rises to highest level in a year at 6.66%
  2. Mortgage rates hit 7% as Iran war pushes borrowing costs higher
  3. Average mortgage rate hits 7.5%
  4. Average long-term US mortgage rate churns upward to its highest level in nearly 3 years at 7.28%
  5. Average 30-year US mortgage rate falls to 6.43%, its lowest level in seven weeks
  6. Average 30-year US mortgage rate rises to 6.49%, pushing up homebuyers’ borrowing costs
  7. Average 30-year US mortgage rate climbs to 6.55%, highest level in nearly a year
  8. Mortgage rates dip slightly for the first time in six weeks, but remain steeper than last year
  9. Mortgage rates ease again, but remain higher than this time last year
  10. Average rate on a 30-year mortgage climbs to highest level in 13 months
  11. Mortgage rates climb: Average rate on a 30-year home loan hits the highest level in over 14 months

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 14 recorded updates

September 2026

  1. Average long-term US mortgage rate churns upward to its highest level in nearly 3 years at 7.28%Headline from WTOP Washington DC · 30 outlets
  2. Mortgage rates hit 7% as Iran war pushes borrowing costs higherHeadline from Honolulu Star-Advertiser · 5 outlets
  3. Average mortgage rate hits 7.5%Headline from KYMA Yuma · 39 outlets
  4. US mortgage rates brush 7%, weighing on buyers, sellers and further straining a bleak housing marketHeadline from KOB 4 · 24 outlets
  5. Mortgage rates climb: Average rate on a 30-year home loan hits the highest level in over 14 monthsHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 10 outlets
  6. Average rate on a 30-year mortgage climbs to highest level in 13 monthsHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 13 outlets

August 2026

  1. Mortgage rates rise, bringing the average rate on a 30-year home loan to where it was 4 weeks agoHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 6 outlets
  2. Mortgage rates ease again, but remain higher than this time last yearHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 5 outlets
  3. Mortgage rates dip slightly for the first time in six weeks, but remain steeper than last yearHeadline from Seattle Times · 8 outlets

July 2026

  1. Average 30-year US mortgage rate rises to highest level in a year at 6.66%Headline from WDIO Duluth · 36 outlets
  2. Average 30-year US mortgage rate climbs to 6.58%, highest level in nearly a yearHeadline from The Republic · 15 outlets
  3. Average 30-year US mortgage rate climbs to 6.55%, highest level in nearly a yearHeadline from The Republic · 22 outlets
  4. Average 30-year US mortgage rate rises to 6.49%, pushing up homebuyers’ borrowing costsHeadline from Green Field Reporter · 12 outlets
  5. Average 30-year US mortgage rate falls to 6.43%, its lowest level in seven weeksHeadline from Daily Journal · 8 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →