Housing data

Last week, Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director of Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), sat down with Vermont Public Radio’s (VPR) Howard Weiss-Tisman to discuss the results of the annual VPR-Vermont PBS poll. The poll revealed that housing costs are the primary source of financial stress for Vermonters and that respondents believed that lower housing costs would make Vermont significantly more affordable.

A recent article in the Burlington Free Press highlights Vermont’s stagnating household incomes, raising concerns over the strength of its economy and the ability of its residents to afford housing.

UVM economics professor Art Woolf writes that according to the 2017 estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Vermont’s median household income is $57,513, ranking it 27^th in the country. However, the Vermont household median income actually decreased by 2.4 percent from 2016, just as the national median household income increased by 2.5 percent.

The annual report on housing from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (JCHS) reveals that although homeownership rates are beginning to climb, young adults are finding it increasingly difficult to afford to buy their first home. The report found that from 1990 to 2016 the median home price rose 41 percent faster than overall inflation, outpacing wage growth during the same period. Homeownership rates among young adults today are lower than they were before the recession. This report comes as VHFA and many in the lending, real estate, and housing communities recognize June as national Homeownership Month.

The latest edition of the annual report on rental housing affordability from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition has found that Vermont has one of the highest gaps in the nation between the cost of rent and renter wages. Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing reports that for a Vermont renter to be able to afford a modest two bedroom apartment, he or she would need to earn $22.40 per hour, well above the average renter wage.

Chittenden County has the biggest imbalance between its share of VT jobs and homes, according to recent VHFA analysis. Although 33% of the state's jobs are in Chittenden County, the state is home to only 28% of the state’s workers and only 25% of the state’s homes. This is likely caused in part by workers living in Franklin County, where the share of homes outnumbers the share of jobs, who commute to Chittenden County for work.

Washington County also has an imbalance similar to Chittenden’s, but on a much smaller scale.

The recent annual report on rental housing from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) has found that although the national demand for rental housing has decreased slightly overall, there is still significant need for housing affordable to low-income renters.

From the Washington Post: Despite the looming fight in Washington over taxes and government spending, now isn’t the time to curtail tax breaks that benefit homeowners, says Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary Shaun Donovan.

The continuing resolution passed by the U.S. House and Senate last week will keep the American Community Survey from being eliminated, at least until the resolution expires on March 27, 2013, according to the Association of Public Data Users. Earlier this year, a rider had been attached to the FY 2013 appropriations bills by the House eliminating the American Community Survey.