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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Pew Stateline

Apartment construction cools rents in some regions

Estimates of the national housing shortage vary widely, from 1.5 million houses and apartments to 20.1 million. Most experts estimate a shortage of 1.5 million to 5.5 million, according to Daniel McCue, a senior research associate at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

The Washington Post

More women are sharing their homes as they grow older

A rising number of seniors are “cost burdened” when it comes to housing, according to a 2023 study by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. About 11 million older adult households spend at least 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities, up from 8.8 million in 2011. Older women feel this economic stress more keenly, because they have less saved for retirement then men.

The New York Times

Climate Change Is Making Homeownership Even More Unaffordable

There’s tension over how much, if at all, government should subsidize people at high risk of damage from natural disasters. Can subsidies ever be justified? Yes? Then what if the main beneficiaries are wealthy families, who are more likely to buy in scenic areas that produce lots of claims? “There’s not going to be universal consensus on what’s fair and what’s not,” says Steve Koller, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Marketplace

What were the most popular cities to move to in 2024?

Riordan Frost at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies said the biggest factor for most people is cost. “Affordability in general has become a nationwide issue, and so I could really see that driving people to move out, especially if they’re trying to purchase a home,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal

The Housing Affordability Crisis Is Going Global

The average age of first-time home buyers has risen rapidly in many countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Ireland. In the U.S., half of households spent at least 30% of their incomes on rent and utilities in 2022, a record high, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Pew Stateline

Despite Trump’s claim, deportations likely wouldn’t ease housing crisis, most experts say

Unable to meet most requirements for a mortgage on a home, immigrants living in the U.S. illegally often rely on extremely affordable rental housing. And multigenerational living is more common due to economic necessity, said Riordan Frost, a senior research analyst with the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. In recent years, he added, members of the millennial generation — not immigrants — have driven the rise in new households, especially during the pandemic. “It’s important to push back against the argument that housing for one group comes at the cost of another,” Frost said.

The New York Times

The Climate Risk to the Mortgage System

When it comes to insulating the two enterprises and borrowers from climate-related catastrophe, the Federal Housing Finance Agency — which regulates Fannie and Freddie — has issued only vague guidance. “It came out and I thought, where’s the rest of it?” said Carlos Martín, director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.