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New York, California and Pennsylvania had the lowest 30-year mortgage rates on Friday. Other states that were close behind included Florida, Alabama, Tennessee Texas, Colorado and Washington. The nine states had averages between 6.84% to 6.94%.
West Virginia, Maryland, Alaska, Washington, D.C., North Dakota, as well as a large number of states, including Oklahoma and New Mexico, tied for the highest Friday rates. The averages of these states ranged from 7.01% to 7.07%.
Mortgage rates vary depending on the state they originate from. Different lenders are active in different regions. Rates may be influenced state-level variations of credit score, average loan amount, and regulations. Lenders have different risk management strategies which influence the rates that they offer.
No matter what type of mortgage you are looking for, it is wise to shop around and compare rates frequently, as rates vary widely between lenders.
You can also read about the importance of this in
The rates we publish won’t compare directly with teaser rates you see advertised online since those rates are cherry-picked as the most attractive vs. the averages you see here. Teaser rates may involve paying points in advance or may be based on a hypothetical borrower with an ultra-high credit score or for a smaller-than-typical loan. The rate you receive will depend on your credit score, your income, and other factors. It may differ from the averages shown here.
National Mortgage Rate Averages
The 30-year new purchase mortgage rates dropped by 20 basis points during the first three of last week. They then remained close to constant on Thursday and Friday. The average ended at 6.96%. That follows a dramatic surge the previous week of 44 basis points, which shot the average up to 7.14%—its most expensive level since May 2024.
Last month rates on 30-year bonds fell to their lowest average for 2025, a rate of 6.50%. In September, 30-year rates fell to a 2-year low of 5.89%.
| National Averages of Lenders' Best Mortgage Rates | |
|---|---|
| Loan Type | New Purchase |
| Fixed 30-Year Rate | 6.96% |
| FHA 30-Year fixed | 7.37% |
| Fixed 15-Year Rate | 6.11% |
| Jumbo 30-Year Fixed | 7.01% |
| 5/6 ARM | 7.23% |
| Zillow Mortgage API provides access to the Zillow Mortgage API | |
Compare Current Mortgage Rates – April 21, 2020
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What causes mortgage rates to rise or fall?
Mortgage rates are determined by the complex interaction of macroeconomics and industry factors.
- The direction and level of the bond markets, particularly 10-year Treasury yields
- The Federal Reserve’s current monetary policies, particularly as they relate to bond purchases and funding government-backed loans
- Mortgage lenders are competing with each other to offer different types of loans.
Because any number of these can cause fluctuations simultaneously, it's generally difficult to attribute any change to any one factor.
Macroeconomic factors have kept the mortgage market low for most of 2021. In response to the economic pressures brought on by the pandemic, the Federal Reserve purchased billions in bonds. This bond-buying strategy is a major factor in determining mortgage rates.
The Fed will begin to taper its bond purchases in November 2021. It will make monthly reductions that are significant until March 2022, when the net purchase amount is zero.
The Fed raised the federal fund rate aggressively between then and July 2023 to combat inflation that has been high for decades. While the fed fund rate can affect mortgage rates, it does not do so directly. The fed funds rate can actually move in the opposite direction to mortgage rates.
But given the historic speed and magnitude of the Fed's 2022 and 2023 rate increases—raising the benchmark rate 5.25 percentage points over 16 months—even the indirect influence of the fed funds rate has resulted in a dramatic upward impact on mortgage rates over the last two years.
The Fed maintained its federal funds rate near its highest level for almost 14-months, starting in July of 2023. In September, however, the central bank announced its first rate cut, which was 0.50 percentage points. This was followed by a quarter-point cut in November and December.
For its first meeting of the new year, however, the Fed opted to hold rates steady—and it’s possible the central bank may not make another rate cut for months. Eight rate-setting meetings are scheduled each year, so we could see several rate-hold announcements by 2025.
How We Track Mortgage Rates
The national and state averages cited above are provided as is via the Zillow Mortgage API, assuming a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 80% (i.e., a down payment of at least 20%) and an applicant credit score in the 680–739 range. The rates are what borrowers can expect to receive from lenders when they get quotes based on their qualifications. These rates may differ from teaser rates advertised. © Zillow, Inc., 2025. Zillow’s Terms of Service apply.
Article Sources Investopedia asks writers to use primary resources to support their writing. These include whitepapers, government data and original reporting as well as interviews with industry experts. We also use original research from other reputable publications when appropriate. Learn more about our standards for producing accurate and unbiased content by visiting our Editorial policy
Congressional Research Service "Federal Reserve: Tapering of Asset Purchases," Page 1.
Federal Reserve Board. “Summary Economic Projections for March 19, 2025,” page 4.
