Story at a glance
- A new report from Up For Growth shows the U.S. fell short of meeting housing needs across the country by more than 3 million homes in 2019.
- In 2019, housing production in Mississippi fell short by 1,000 homes — compared to California, which underproduced by 978,000.
- Vermont was the only state to see an improvement.
Nearly all states saw an increase in housing underproduction during a seven-year period in the mid-2000’s, though some states fared better than others.
A new report from Up For Growth shows the U.S. fell short of meeting housing needs across the country by more than 3 million homes in 2019 — up from 1.6 million in 2012.
“While this affects everyone, it is particularly burdensome for working families, people with low incomes, and people of color,” the report read. “In fact, racial and ethnic discrimination has been embedded in housing policy for over a century.”
“To create access to opportunity and a housing system that serves everyone, policymakers must prioritize racial, ethnic, and economic equity outcomes and actively reverse the nation’s history of exclusionary policies,” the report continued.
During this seven-year period, 47 states and the nation’s capital saw underproduction grow, and another six states moved into the underproduction category. But some states and metros were able to manage the shortage.
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Although America’s metro areas also saw a decrease in housing production, some, like Nashville and Anchorage, showed improvements from 2012. Nashville experienced a 51.4 percent reduction in underproduction from 2012.
Moreover, in 2019 housing production in Mississippi fell short by 1,000 homes. This is compared to California, which underproduced by 978,000.
Vermont was the only state to see an improvement, while only 25 regions of the country experienced a decrease in their housing deficits.
Here are the states with the lowest housing underproduction in 2019, according to the report.
- Mississippi: 1k
- Vermont; Montana: 3k
- Rhode Island 4k
- Arkansas; Kansas: 5k
- Iowa; Nebraska: 8k