Average long-term mortgage rate falls below 6% in time for spring home-buying season

Benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.98% from 6.01% last week, the lowest level since September 2022

The average long-term US mortgage rate slipped this week below 6% for the first time since late 2022, good news for home shoppers as the spring home-buying season gets rolling.

The benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.98% from 6.01% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said on Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.76%.

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Why This Matters

Benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.98% from 6.01% last week, the lowest level since September 2022

The average long-term US mortgage rate slipped this week below 6% for the first time since late 2022, good news for home shoppers as the spring home-buying season gets rolling.

The benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.98%... The story is categorized under Cost of Living with a neutral tone (score 0.01).

In Week 9 2026, Cost of Living accounted for 22 related article(s), with UK Politics setting the broader headline context. Coverage of Cost of Living increased by 4 article(s) versus the prior week, signaling growing editorial attention.

Coverage Snapshot

Week 9 2026 included 22 Cost of Living article(s). Leading outlets for this topic included Independent Business, Independent, NY Times Business. Across that cluster, sentiment showed a mostly neutral skew (avg score 0.00).

Key Insights

Primary keywords: mortgage, rate, home, average, long.
Topic focus: Cost of Living coverage with neutral sentiment.
Source context: reported by Guardian Business.
Published: 2026-02-26.
Published by Guardian Business, a widely cited major outlet.
Date context: published during Week 9 2026, when UK Politics dominated weekly headlines.

Tone & Sentiment

The article tone is classified as neutral, driven by the language and emphasis in the summary. The sentiment score of 0.01 indicates the strength of that tone.

Context

This piece fits within the broader Cost of Living narrative, connecting current events to ongoing developments. Readers tracking Cost of Living trends can use this article as a concise signal of what is shaping coverage right now.

Related Topics

Cost of Living

Key Takeaway

In short, this article underscores key movement in Cost of Living and explains why it matters now.

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Guardian Business Average long-term mortgage rate falls below 6% in time for spring home-buying season