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Discussion Paper
A Look at the New York-Northern New Jersey Region’s Pandemic Housing Boom
Since the start of the pandemic, home prices in the U.S. have increased by an astonishing 40 percent. The New York-Northern New Jersey region saw a similar meteoric rise, as home prices shot up by 30 percent or more almost everywhere—even in upstate New York, where economic growth was sluggish well before the pandemic hit. New York City is the exception, where home price growth was less than half that pace. Indeed, home prices actually declined in Manhattan early in the pandemic, though they have rebounded markedly since. Much of the region’s home price boom can be traced to the rise in ...
Journal Article
Pandemic Homebuyers: Who Were They, and Where Did They Buy?
Stable and affordable housing is foundational for participating in the economy, and homeownership is the primary form of wealth accumulation for most American families. Housing demand changed as households responded to the economic and social environment of the COVID-19 pandemic. As households moved because of these changing conditions and homebuying surged, many popular narratives emerged around migration patterns, “hot” places to buy, and what types of buyers were succeeding in the market.This research brief employs mortgage data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) to examine ...
Speech
Observations on Housing and the Economy: Remarks at “The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025”
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President and CEO Susan M. Collins shared remarks at The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025 event hosted by the Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies and the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. President Collins' remarks focus on issues related to housing data, housing affordability, the importance of housing in the economy, and the Federal Reserve’s engagement in housing issues – especially with the regional-economy perspective.
What Are the Long-run Trade-offs of Rent-Control Policies?
While rent-control policies can mean more affordable housing for some, research shows they can also lead to a decline in the supply and quality of rental housing.
U.S. housing: Unaffordable to buy, but wealth-building to own
A home is not only a place to live. It is a long-lived asset whose value reflects the housing service it provides over time and the return buyers require, given interest rates and risk. The ongoing combination of high house price-to-rent ratios and strained affordability suggests housing remains a macroeconomic vulnerability, though financial conditions appear more resilient than before the housing bust and subsequent Global Financial Crisis of 2008.
When Houses Outrun Paychecks: The Lost Decades of Housing Affordability
An analysis of housing and household income data from 2000 to 2023 finds that in most U.S. counties, the cost of buying a house has outpaced local incomes.
Discussion Paper
Housing Affordability Challenges for Renters and Homeowners in the Rural Fifth District
As previously discussed in this blog, homeownership affordability has been on the decline in rural communities throughout the Fifth District. The combination of elevated home prices and rising mortgage rates have made homeownership harder to achieve. But affordability challenges aren't limited to prospective homebuyers. Many existing rural homeowners and renters — especially low-to-moderate income (LMI) households — are burdened by their housing costs.
Journal Article
Housing Affordability and Housing Demand
Understanding housing demand dynamics through two indicators, income growth and population growth, provides important insights into housing affordability. Research shows that average U.S. income growth is strongly related to rising house prices but is essentially unrelated to changes in the supply of housing units across metropolitan areas. Instead, greater population growth translates into greater housing supply growth, with housing supply generally outpacing population, even in expensive markets. Thus, differences in affordability across areas may reflect differences in the growth and type ...
America Underbuilt Inc.: The Supply Side of the U.S. Housing Challenge
This analysis finds that the U.S. has underbuilt housing for decades. The persistent supply shortfall amid growing demand drives today’s affordability crisis.
Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis as COVID-19’s Impact Continues
Finding an affordable apartment or rental house already was a struggle for many families before the pandemic.