Single owner-occupier movers have increased by 15.6% over the past decade, while the share of married movers has fallen by 22.6%, according to new analysis by TwentyCi carried out for the Hillarys brand.
Taken together, the figures point to a structural shift in who is currently moving home in the UK. This is among the findings of TwentyCi’s latest Property & Homemover Report.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published in July 2025*, shows that single-person households continue to rise, driven by long-term demographic change and an ageing population.
Their data showed more people lived alone in 2024 (8.4 million) than in 2014 (7.6 million), and a larger proportion of them were aged 65 years or over (51.1% in 2024, 45.5% in 2014).
In 2016, the most common age group for owner-occupier movers was 30–39; today, it is 50–59.
For retail brands built around the assumption of a younger couple furnishing a first family home, that model now reflects a shrinking share of overall market activity.
The fastest-growing segment is single movers aged 50–59, expanding at a significantly faster rate than their married counterparts.
This shift is also reflected in purchasing behaviour. Among 50–59-year-olds, single movers buy homes at an average price of £289,600, compared with £427,200 for married couples.
The £137,600 gap suggests a trend towards downsizing, with many buyers opting for smaller, lower-maintenance homes. Rather than stretching to enter the market, these movers are more likely to be releasing equity and reallocating it according to their own priorities.
This represents an increasingly important buyer profile for categories such as furniture, flooring and home accessories.
The single midlife mover is typically equity-rich and has already made the large-scale purchases associated with family life. As a result, spending tends to be more focused on quality, design and self-expression rather than volume and practicality.
Rather than furnishing multiple bedrooms for children, this group is more likely to invest more per room in the spaces they prioritise.
The single 50–59-year-old mover represents a concentrated version of this spending pattern, with fewer competing household demands, greater price tolerance, and decisions driven more by choice than necessity.
Colin Bradshaw, CEO of TwentyCi said: “Retailers that continue to define homemovers primarily by traditional life stages, such as first-time buyers or young families, risk overlooking a segment that is playing an increasingly significant role in the owner-occupied market.
“Our analysis shows movers spend, on average, three times more on retail goods than those staying put, contributing £21.4 billion annually to the UK economy, making it essential for brands to understand their evolving needs and priorities.”
