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Average 30-year mortgage rate sits at 6.71% as 2026 climbs
The 2026 average through August 19 is 6.71%, and 2025 borrowers paid $3,343 a year more on average by not shopping lender offers, according to Bankrate research.
Yahoo Finance highlights Bankrate data showing the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage reached 6.71% as of August 24, 2026. The figure is higher than the start of the year and above the 2025 average of 6.66%, with the 2026 average through August 19.
Over the longer term, the article notes the 30-year fixed rate has swung widely, from a 2021 low of 2.65% to an early-1980s peak above 18%. It also points to a structural affordability challenge, saying home prices remained elevated after rates moved higher from their early-2020s lows.
Bankrate research cited by Yahoo Finance argues that the impact of mortgage rate history depends on how borrowers shop, saying 87% of borrowers in 2025 paid more than the most competitive rate available to them. The article also references a Bankrate estimate that the typical borrower overpaid by $278 a month, or $3,343 a year, by not comparing enough lenders.
The piece adds that Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed average at 6.65% as of August 20, 2026, after dipping slightly week over week but remaining above the prior year level. It also attributes recent rate direction to persistent inflation and Treasury yields keeping upward pressure on mortgage pricing.