What are today's mortgage interest rates: May 18, 2026?

Today's mortgage rates look different compared to what borrowers were offered earlier this spring. carlofranco/ The direction of mortgage interest rates is driven by a wide range of factors , some of which interact with each other in unique ways. This is partially why mortgage interest rates have increased in recent months, even with the Federal Reserve electing to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged following a reduction in December 2025. But with overseas conflicts causing the price of oil to rise and inflation to grow with it, lenders have responded by raising the rates that they offer to borrowers. That's caused mortgage interest rates to grow by more than half a percentage point from where they were in early March, for example. At the same time, rates here are still considerably below where they were in recent years. It was only 2023, for example, when rates surged to their highest point in more than two decades . But they've since improved, and while not ideal, could still be affordable for select buyers or owners looking to refinance their existing loans. To better understand their next steps, it helps borrowers to know where mortgage interest rates stand right now, as of May 18, 2026. See what mortgage interest rate you could qualify for here . What are today's mortgage interest rates? The average mortgage interest rate on a 30-year mortgage is 6.49% as of May 18, 2026, according to Zillow . The average interest rate on a 15-year term is 6%. …