U.S. Underproduced 3.8 Million Housing Units in 2019

A July report from ECONorthwest and national housing-focused nonprofit Up For Growth finds that the U.S. underproduced 3.8 million housing units in 2019.

The report has garnered significant national attention since its release. ECONorthwest and Up For Growth researchers highlight the severity of housing underproduction across the U.S. and consider the unique drivers of the lack of development, aiming to deliver "practical and tangible" solutions to advocates and policymakers. 

See below for some key findings and download the full report, Housing Underproduction™ in the U.S. 2022, at UpForGrowth.org.

• After the last housing crash in 2008, developers stopped building — for a decade.
  
  
• Underproduction needs to be broken down into several driving components: missing households, vacancy challenges, and uninhabitable units.
  
  
• Underproduction is surging, with some areas seeing more than 25x increases in their rates of underproduction from a decade ago.
  
  
• As of 2019, Oregon had the fourth-largest share of underproduction for total housing stock in the nation.
  
  
• Most metro areas in the study need to update their zoning rules to allow for more housing to be built quickly.
  
  

Read the full report at UpForGrowth.org.