While we all enjoyed the extremely low rates of the past several years, we knew they would not last. We also knew they were the exception, not the rule. If you think interest rates are higher than ever, check out this chart from Fannie Mae showing interest rates over the past 30 years.
Historically, interest rates have averaged 8%. This may seem high to you, but as you can see, it is not compared with some of the rates from the past 30 years.
| YEAR | AVG. 30-YEAR RATE | YEAR | AVG. 30-YEAR RATE | YEAR | AVG. 30-YEAR RATE |
| 1974 | 9.19% | 1990 | 10.13% | 2006 | 6.41% |
| 1975 | 9.05% | 1991 | 9.25% | 2007 | 6.34% |
| 1976 | 8.87% | 1992 | 8.29% | 2008 | 6.03% |
| 1977 | 8.85% | 1993 | 7.31% | 2009 | 5.04% |
| 1978 | 9.64% | 1994 | 8.38% | 2010 | 4.69% |
| 1979 | 11.20% | 1995 | 7.93% | 2011 | 4.45% |
| 1980 | 13.74% | 1996 | 7.81% | 2012 | 3.66% |
| 1981 | 16.63% | 1997 | 7.60% | 2013 | 3.98% |
| 1982 | 16.04% | 1998 | 6.94% | 2014 | 4.17% |
| 1983 | 13.24% | 1999 | 7.44% | 2015 | 3.85% |
| 1984 | 13.88% | 2000 | 8.05% | 2016 | 3.65% |
| 1985 | 12.43% | 2001 | 6.97% | 2017 | 3.99% |
| 1986 | 10.19% | 2002 | 6.54% | 2018 | 4.54% |
| 1987 | 10.21% | 2003 | 5.83% | 2019 | 3.94% |
| 1988 | 10.34% | 2004 | 5.84% | 2020 | 3.10% |
| 1989 | 10.32% | 2005 | 5.87% | 2021 | 2.96% |
Source: Freddie Mac
