In the media

Our research is regularly cited in national and local news outlets; below is some of our recent press coverage.

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Marketplace

The average U.S. renter now spends 30% of their income on rent, a new all-time high

When people have to spend so much on rent, they have less to save for a down payment to buy a house, per Alexander Hermann, a researcher at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. “They’re also spending less on food, less on school supplies, less on health care, clothes. Really it means less leftover for all other essentials,” he said.

Vox

It looks like people are actually moving back to San Francisco (really)

The number of people leaving San Francisco based on the number of change of address forms filed in the city declined to 12,000 last year, down from about 48,000 in 2020 and 18,000 in 2021, according to change of address data from the US Postal Service collected by Riordan Frost, senior research analyst at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

NPR (All Things Considered)

How buying a home became a key way to build wealth in America

"Homeownership has been a central way of building wealth, certainly all throughout the post-war period," says Chris Herbert, Managing Director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies. "Although I would say importantly, it was not an avenue that was open to many people of color, particularly African Americans."

The Wall Street Journal

Rising Interest Rates Imperil Remodeling Mania

Homeowners, excluding landlords and house flippers, spent $418 billion on home improvement and repair over the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, which was developed by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

The Atlantic

Don't Buy a Home (Ever)

Granted, the past couple of years may have been an aberration; people went crazy for home remodeling during the pandemic. But even pre-pandemic research cuts against common understandings of how homeowners use their equity.

Katie Couric Media

With a Recession Looming, Is Now a Good Time to Remodel?

Homeowners spent $337 billion in improvements and repairs in 2020, $368 billion in 2021, and are projected to shell out $427 billion by the end of this year, according to data from the Joint Center for Housing Studies.

The New York Times

Is Homeownership Slipping Even Further Out of Reach for New Yorkers?

The income required to afford a home in, for example, the middle-third of the New York City area market in September 2019 was about $117,450, assuming a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, according to an analysis by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

The New York Times

As Gen X and Boomers Age, They Confront Living Alone

People in this group often face the reality that “it’s more expensive to get a smaller condo than the single family you’re selling — and that presumes the condo exists, which may not be the case,” said Jennifer Molinsky, director of the Housing an Aging Society Program at Harvard University.