Over the past two generations, incomes have not kept pace with rising housing prices, resulting in a significant housing burden. Historically, housing prices were expected to be 2 to 2.5 times the annual income, but now a median-income family can only afford a home costing $245,500, while the median home price is $980,000.
Key factors contributing to this imbalance include:
From 1980 to 2010, L.A.’s population grew substantially, but housing units did not keep up, driving prices higher. Recent price surges are due to pandemic-driven demand, housing shortages, and institutional investors buying homes.
Consequences include high rents, homelessness, overcrowding, longer commutes, population outflows, and increased wealth inequality. Solutions require increasing housing supply, protecting individual buyers, ensuring affordable housing, and raising wages, with major employers recognizing their role in addressing the housing burden.
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