Housing's $457 billion tax savings

Average U.S. household deducts $9,650 in mortgage interest

Thirty-five million taxpayers used the home-mortgage deduction in 2003, deducting a total of $338 billion, or an average of $9,650 per household, according to an analysis released on Thursday by the National Association of Home Builders. About 39 million deducted real estate taxes that year, totaling $119 billion in deductions nationwide, or an average of $3,000 per tax filer.