Housing · August 21, 2026 · 2 min read

Freddie Mac’s 30-Year Mortgage-Rate Average Fell to 6.65% on August 20

Published August 21, 2026 • Updated August 21, 2026

Freddie Mac reported that its average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell two basis points from the prior week, while its 15-year fixed-rate average also edged lower.

CONFIRMED FACTS Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey reported a 6.65% average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage as of August 20, 2026. The company reported that the average was 6.67% one week earlier and 6.58% one year earlier. The same release reported a 5.95% average for the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage, compared with 5.96% the previous week and 5.69% a year earlier. Freddie Mac’s page says the results are released weekly on Thursdays at noon Eastern time. Freddie Mac says the survey uses mortgage-rate data from thousands of loan applications submitted through its Loan Product Advisor by lenders nationwide. Its published criteria cover weekly conventional, single-family, owner-occupied purchase originations with conforming loan limits. The results average loan rates offered from the prior Thursday through Wednesday. ANALYSIS The two published fixed-rate averages both declined from the prior week: the 30-year average by 0.02 percentage point and the 15-year average by 0.01 percentage point. The year-over-year comparisons differ from the weekly moves because the 30-year average remained above its year-earlier reading, while the 15-year average was also above its year-earlier reading. These are survey averages for the defined borrower and loan population, not a rate quote guaranteed to an individual borrower. UNKNOWNS AND LIMITS The release does not establish why the averages changed, whether the movement will persist, or what any particular household will qualify for. Actual borrowing costs can differ with credit profile, loan amount, down payment, points, lender, property, and timing. The survey covers the stated conventional, conforming, owner-occupied purchase criteria; it is not a measure of every mortgage product, refinance offer, or local housing-market condition.

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Sources

Freddie Mac — Primary Mortgage Market Survey, August 20, 2026 — Primary source for the August 20, 2026 weekly 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate averages, prior-week and year-earlier comparisons, release timing, and survey methodology.

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