By Gregory Korte
Designed to boost homeownership, the mortgage interest deduction is one of the most popular provisions of the tax code. But Internal Revenue Service data show that only a quarter of tax filers claim it.
The use of the deduction varies widely from region to region, ranging from a high of 37% of taxpayers in Maryland to a low of 15% in North Dakota and West Virginia, according to a USA TODAY analysis of IRS data.
