This page tracks the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the weekly national average that most rate headlines are quoting whether or not they say so. Every figure here carries the week it was measured.
Current averages
| Loan type | Average rate |
|---|---|
| 30-year fixed | 6.67% |
| 15-year fixed | 5.96% |
Recent weeks
View the data
| Jun 25 | 6.49% |
|---|---|
| Jul 2 | 6.43% |
| Jul 9 | 6.49% |
| Jul 16 | 6.55% |
| Jul 23 | 6.58% |
| Jul 30 | 6.66% |
| Aug 6 | 6.69% |
| Aug 13 | 6.67% |
Source: Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED (MORTGAGE30US), accessed .
Rates climbed 26 basis points across six weeks, then stepped back slightly. On a $400,000 loan that climb is roughly $70 a month.
The longer range
| Year | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2.77% | 3.14% |
| 2022 | 3.22% | 7.08% |
| 2023 | 6.09% | 7.79% |
| 2024 | 6.08% | 7.22% |
| 2025 | 6.15% | 7.04% |
| 2026 (to 13 Aug) | 5.98% | 6.69% |
Four consecutive years inside roughly 6–7.8%, after 2022 more than doubled the rate inside twelve months. 2026 is the narrowest range of the four so far.
How to read your own quote against this
The survey covers prime, conventional, conforming loans. Your number moves away from it for reasons that are mostly knowable in advance:
- Credit score band. The largest controllable factor. Worth fixing before applying if you have a few months.
- Deposit size. More equity, less lender risk, better pricing, and possibly no mortgage insurance.
- Loan amount and type. Jumbo, FHA and VA loans price differently from conforming.
- Points. Paying points buys a lower rate. A quote with points isn’t comparable to one without.
- The lender. Real dispersion exists in the same week, which is why several quotes beat one.
If your quote is far above the survey, the gap is information: it usually points at the score band or the deposit rather than at the lender.
Why the survey and the Fed disagree
A recurring confusion. The Federal Reserve held its target range at 3.50–3.75% on 29 July 2026 — and mortgage rates rose over the same period.
Fixed mortgage rates track long-term bond yields, which price expectations about inflation and growth over years. The Fed sets an overnight rate. They’re related and they are not the same thing, which is why “the Fed is holding, so mortgage rates will hold” is unreliable. The full mechanism.
The same logic drives savings rates in the other direction — why deposit rates move when they do.
Using this page
The chart is for a trend. It is not a quote. When you’re ready to act, run actual numbers: the refinance estimator if you’re refinancing, 15 vs 30 year if you’re choosing a term.
Check the date at the top of this page against today’s before you use anything on it. A rate page without one is decoration.