How big is the US housing shortage?

美国住房短缺到底有多大?

The Indicator from Planet Money

商务

2024-11-25

8 分钟
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Housing affordability is a top concern for Americans and a hot political topic. Estimates for the number of needed homes stretch into the millions, but how is this actually counted? Today on the show, we explain the tricky business of quantifying the US housing shortage. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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  • Npr.

  • This is the indicator for Planet Money.

  • I'm Adrienne Ma.

  • And I'm Weylon Wong.

  • One of the hot topics of the US Presidential campaign was housing affordability.

  • Both candidates talked about what they would do to boost the supply of homes and bring prices down.

  • The search for affordable housing is a major concern for a lot of people in the U.S.

  • people like Olivia Garcia.

  • She's from Los Angeles.

  • And earlier this year, Olivia and her fiance opted to sell their stuff and travel overseas instead of paying LA rents.

  • We did our traveling because we were like, oh my God, it's so expensive.

  • Just like living here, being in la, you know, might as well go spend our savings doing this because it'll be cheaper anyways.

  • We're making girl math would state that I am making money traveling.

  • Do you have to take a course in girl math to do it?

  • Some of us were born doing girl math, Adrienne.

  • But, you know, Olivia and her fiance did eventually return to the US so that Olivia's fiance could start a new job.

  • And back in la, the apartment search was grim.

  • It's just all around really nightmarish.

  • Like, the options are pretty slim.

  • Olivia was feeling what politicians have identified as a housing shortage.