Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed average at 6.76% as of Sept 10, 2026. A week earlier it was 6.71%, and a year earlier 6.35%. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.09%, from 6.04% the week before and 5.50% a year ago.
The week and the year
Week to week, both averages moved up by a small amount. Year over year, both are higher, and the 15-year rose more than the 30-year did. I wouldn’t plan around one week’s move. What I’d look at is the change since last September, because the 30-year average is higher now than it was then.
Why the 15-year is lower and costs more
The 15-year prices below the 30-year because the lender’s money comes back sooner. The monthly payment is higher because the same balance is retired in fifteen years instead of thirty. What matters is what that payment does to the rest of your budget, so I’d have the same lender quote both loan lengths on the same day and put the two payments side by side.
What the number is
Freddie Mac says the survey results are based on the mortgage rate collected from thousands of loan applications submitted to it through Loan Product Advisor from lenders across the country when a borrower applies for a mortgage, and the published number is a weekly average of the rates offered on those applications. It’s a national average of what was offered on applications, so your own quote will sit above or below it depending on your file, and that’s expected.
Freddie Mac’s own advice this week
The release’s advice is that aspiring buyers should remember that shopping around for the best mortgage rate and getting multiple quotes can potentially save them thousands. I’d do exactly that. Got a quote this week for a Greater Boston purchase? Send it over and I’ll tell you how it sits against this release and what to ask the next lender. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.
Questions
Common questions
What was the 30-year mortgage rate on September 10, 2026?
Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average at 6.76% as of September 10, 2026, up from 6.71% the week before. A year earlier it averaged 6.35%.
What was the 15-year rate in the same release?
6.09%, up from 6.04% the week before. A year earlier the 15-year fixed averaged 5.50%.
Is the Freddie Mac number the rate I'll be offered?
No. It's a national average of rates on loan applications submitted through Freddie Mac's Loan Product Advisor during the week. Your quote depends on your file, and Freddie Mac's release itself says to shop around and get multiple quotes.
Should I take the 15-year because the rate is lower?
That depends on whether the higher monthly payment fits your budget. The rate is lower because the loan is paid back faster, and the monthly payment is higher because the same balance is spread over fifteen years rather than thirty. Have one lender quote both loan lengths on the same day and compare the payments.
Written by Diana Yeji Kim — REALTOR® at eXp Realty, serving Greater Boston in English, Korean, and Japanese.
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