2024 Military Home Ownership Rates: Why Are Soldiers Lagging Behind Civil Servants?

Military officials are considering allocating a portion of relocated base sites for service member housing.

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Ministry of National Defense

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Despite a gradual annual increase in homeownership among career service members, the rate barely surpasses 40%, highlighting a substantial gap compared to civil servants and private sector averages.

The Defense Department reported on the 10th that the homeownership rate for career service members with over a decade of service reached 44.5% in 2024, up 2.3 percentage points from 42.2% the previous year.

Long-term trends show consistent improvement in military homeownership rates. Starting at 29.1% in 2014, it entered the 30% range at 31.0% in 2015. A significant jump to 41.3% occurred in 2020, followed by a brief plateau at 40.6% in 2022, before resuming its upward trajectory.

However, military personnel still lag about 10 percentage points behind the 2024 homeownership rates for civil servants (62.99%) and the private sector average (60.7%). Moreover, the military rate falls short of the 45.8% homeownership rate among the nation’s lower-income bracket as of 2023.

Stark disparities exist across ranks. In 2024, only generals (66.3%) and colonels (63.1%) exceeded the civil servant average. While lieutenant colonels (60.2%), warrant officers (63.5%), and sergeant majors (57.9%) showed relatively high rates due to longer service, a significant gap persisted with the majority ranks of captains (21.3%) and sergeants (23.4%). Majors (42.3%) and staff sergeants (41.3%) hovered in the 40% range.

The unique nature of military service contributes to low homeownership rates. Frequent reassignments, nationwide transfers, and the provision of government quarters make timing home purchases challenging. Junior officers and NCOs face particular difficulties, balancing frequent moves with income constraints.

Military leadership is implementing support measures, including pay raises, to enhance service members’ housing situations. Efforts include renovating aging officer quarters, constructing new government housing, expanding private rental assistance, and promoting homeownership among career personnel.

A defense official stated, “Closing the homeownership gap between military personnel and their civilian counterparts requires concurrent improvements in compensation and housing policies. As Defense Secretary An Gyu-baek pledged to make leaving the service regrettable, we’re committed to both pay increases and quality-of-life enhancements.”

The Defense Department is exploring ways to leverage base relocation sites to boost military homeownership. The Military Welfare Act allows the defense secretary to prioritize selling decommissioned properties to organizations dedicated to service member welfare for housing development.

Last month’s government plan for urban housing expansion includes relocating the Army’s Counterintelligence Command site (280,000 square meters) and a nearby racetrack (1.15 million square meters) to create housing for 9,800 households.

The initiative also targets other military properties in the capital region for housing development, including Taereung Country Club in Seoul’s Nowon district (6,800 units), a base in Namyangju’s Toegyewon (4,200 units), an Air Force facility in Seoul’s Geumcheon district (2,900 units), and the Defense Research Institute in Seoul’s Dongdaemun district (1,000 units).