Full Citation
Title: Cost, Crowding, or Commuting? Housing Stress on the Middle Class
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2019
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI: 10.1257/jep.32.1.31
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Abstract: Over the past decade, housing costs in the U.S. have risen faster than average incomes. While housing affordability has long been a problem for low-income families, middle-income families are increasingly facing affordability challenges, especially in urban areas with strong labor markets. When housing costs rise, households can respond by adjusting their consumption; for instance, living in smaller spaces or moving farther from city centers. In this paper, I examine middle-class housing stress along four dimensions: affordability, inadequate space, commute times, and homeownership. Using household-level data from the Census Bureau’s Individual Public Use Microdata Sample (IPUMS), I explore how housing stresses vary by income, household type, race, and geography. Results show that, on average, middle-income families are doing well on all four dimensions. However, distinct population groups show stress on several metrics, including affordability, crowding, long commute times, and . . .
Url: https://www.brookings.edu/research/cost-crowding-or-commuting-housing-stress-on-the-middle-class/
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Schuetz, Jenny
Publisher:
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Housing and Segregation, Other
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