In the media

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

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NPR

Unaffordable rental market hits record heights

Rent has skyrocketed in the United States. That means Americans are handing over a bigger portion of their paycheck to their housing costs, leaving less money for things like food, electricity and commuting. The pandemic and inflation have both played a role in pushing rents higher, but Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, senior research associate at Harvard's Joint Center on Housing Studies, says it's not all bad news.

The New York Times

Keeping a Mortgage After 65: A ‘No Brainer’ or a Big Risk?

This dynamic is one factor driving historically large percentages of older Americans to carry mortgage debt into their senior years, according to a new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. In 2022, researchers found that just over 40 percent of homeowners older than 64 had a mortgage, a jump from roughly 25 percent a generation ago.

CNBC

More than 18 million rental units at risk from climate hazards as extreme weather becomes more common, Harvard study finds

More than 18 million rental units across the U.S. are exposed to climate- and weather-related hazards, according to the latest American Rental Housing Report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Harvard researchers paired data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index with the five-year American Community Survey to find out what units are in the areas that are expected to have annual economic loss from environmental hazards such as wildfires, flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes and more.

Newsweek

Is This The $129,000 Solution to America's Housing Crisis?

High mortgage rates, lack of supply and elevated prices of homes have made the dream of owning a house for a lot of first-time buyers out of reach. But some experts suggest that one option that could help ameliorate the challenge of affordability in the housing market—manufactured homes, which cost $129,000 on average.

These homes, which are built and then placed on a lot, cost less to build, according to a recent study from researchers at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, which could also mean that they'd be cheaper to buy than traditional homes. The researchers point out that building a basic manufactured home could cost 35 percent less than a typical home.

The New York Times

​This Florida Mall Has Gucci, Prada … and Soon, Affordable Housing?

Renters in the Miami metropolitan area are the most cost-burdened in the country, according to a new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, which measured how many people spent at least 30 percent of their household income on housing. The report also found that Florida was the most unaffordable state for renters, followed by Hawaii and Nevada.

CNBC

Rental markets are softening, but half of U.S. tenants spend more than they can afford, Harvard report finds

“If you go through any sort of life crisis, you’re on the brink of homelessness,” said Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, lead author and senior research associate focused on affordable housing at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Half of renters in the U.S. spent more than 30% of their income in 2022 on rent and utilities, according to the new America’s Rental Housing report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.