Written by: Christopher Collard
Utah’s Senior Advisor for Housing Strategy and Innovation and former member of the Utah State House of Representatives talks with Utah Foundation Trustee Thomas Young about the top issue of the 2024 Utah Priorities Project: housing affordability.
Written by: Shawn Teigen
Since 1991, Utah’s home prices have appreciated faster than any other state at 596%. Only Colorado and Montana were even close. The U.S. average has been 312% over the period. Also since 1991, Salt Lake City had the highest metro appreciation at 656%. Only Austin, Denver, and Miami were even close. That said, this past year has seen appreciation cool. In fact, Utah has had the fourth-slowest appreciation at 2%. The U.S. average over the … Continued
Written by: Staff
Growth and prosperity are likely to be serious issues facing Utahns over the coming decade. We can see this in the drivers of recent rent increases along the Wasatch Front. Further, there is a good chance that current financial market conditions will sharply push up rents again in the future. Rents on the Increase Rapid rent increases are neither entirely recent nor purely COVID-related – as illustrated by the rent increases seen between 2010 and … Continued
Written by: Christopher Collard
Since 2011, the Utah Foundation has measured community quality of life five times. In 2022, the Community Quality of Life Index stands at 64 out of a possible 100 points, making this year the clear low mark. Learn more in our newest video.
Written by: Shawn Teigen
The Utah Foundation’s 2022 Quality of Life project shows that Utahns’ perception of community quality of life is in decline. Housing affordability and other costs of living accounted for nearly two-thirds of the overall decrease in community quality of life from 2018 to 2022 The Federal Reserve increased interest rates four times in five months (March, May, June and July) in part to slow inflation. That seems to be having an impact in the housing … Continued
Written by: Peter Reichard
High housing costs. Rapidly rising interest rates. Surging oil prices. Escalating inflation. If you don’t already own a home or if rising grocery costs don’t fit your budget, you might be excused for feeling a sense of dread. The American dream is built on homeownership and the idea that you can earn more in real dollars than your parents. But the elevated housing costs and surging interest rates are suddenly putting the first part of … Continued
Written by: Shawn Teigen
Having recently completed our “middle housing” project (see the project page here), the Utah Foundation continues to track Utah’s housing issues. A recent find is the Carpenter Index. AEI’s Housing Center created its Carpenter Index as a way of tracking housing affordability in the country’s 100 largest metro areas. The Index looks at the income for the average carpenter-headed household as a proxy for blue-collar Americans’ incomes. The gist of the question: Can carpenters afford … Continued
Written by: Christopher Collard
The Utah Foundation’s multi-part project on the “missing middle” of the housing market has been making waves among civic, business and policy leaders. Find out what middle housing is, why it matters and how to deploy it in this brief, engaging video.
Written by: Peter Reichard
Scanning the older cities of Utah (or indeed any state) you encounter in the historic core a mix of lot sizes and uses. You might see small setbacks and often find single-family homes alongside small multi-family housing. Often, these areas appear designed for pedestrian commuting, shopping and recreation. As you move away from the historic core into the suburbs, the old patterns dissolve into a new one: All of the residential lots are larger and … Continued
Written by: Peter Reichard
Expanding housing options in Utah will require expanding what our zoning allows. But what are the best ways of going about that? Answering that question is the topic of the latest installment in the new Utah Foundation study, Is the Middle Missing? A Guide to Expanding Options for Utah Homebuyers and Renters. Utah Foundation Vice President Shawn Teigen and President Peter Reichard explore the findings of the report in this edition of Utah Thrives, the … Continued