There is a Middle-Income Housing Shortage Too

While most headlines focus on the affordable housing crisis, middle-income housing stock is suffering for low supply levels as well. The ULI Terwilliger Center’s 2021 Home Attainability Index shows a lack of attainably priced housing in the 50 most populated markets in the US. Essential workers have been the most impacted by the shortage.

The shortage of middle-income housing is evident in markets across the nation, but the most populated markets pose the most severe shortages. There was a clear distinction in housing attainability between small and large metros. The top 20 markets with the most severe affordability issues were generally larger markets with a population exceeding 4.2 million people. However, smaller regions with a population between 1.27 million and 2.6 million generally had improved affordability.