{"id":10326,"date":"2025-10-21T18:01:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T18:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/10326\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T18:01:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T18:01:19","slug":"pennsylvanias-lack-of-building-has-contributed-to-housing-shortage-hurt-affordability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/10326\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania’s Lack of Building Has Contributed to Housing Shortage, Hurt Affordability"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\t\tOverview<\/p>\n

Housing costs rise when there are not enough homes to meet demand. Pennsylvania, in part because of restrictive zoning regulations, ranked 44th among the 50 states on rate of housing built from 2017 to 2023. The average rent in the 23 Pennsylvania counties tracked by Zillow\u2019s rent estimate was $1,013 in 2017 and $1,476 in 2023, a 46% increase.1 That is much larger than the increase in wages and prices for other goods and services from 2017 to 2023.2\n<\/p>\n

The increase in housing costs was most pronounced in parts of Pennsylvania that experienced a population increase but did not allow for construction of enough new homes to house the larger population. The 23 counties tracked by Zillow and analyzed in this report include Pennsylvania\u2019s most populous cities and counties. The population in the 23 counties, combined, grew only 0.7% from 2017 to 2023, while in northeastern Pennsylvania it grew 1.7%, and in Philadelphia\u2019s suburbs, the population increased 2.5%.3 Rent increases were greatest\u2014as high as 81%\u2014in northeastern Pennsylvania, where housing costs actually rose faster than in New York City (+30%) and its suburbs (+44%) from 2017 to 2023 (although rents in New York and New Jersey were still higher than in Pennsylvania as a whole), while housing production lagged behind demand.4\n<\/p>\n


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Rents also grew significantly in smaller metropolitan areas such as Lancaster, Reading, Harrisburg, and York, as well as the Philadelphia suburbs and parts of western Pennsylvania, many of which gained population faster than they provided additional housing.\n<\/p>\n

Not only do residents have hundreds of dollars less to spend each month on groceries and other bills as a result of higher rents, but homeownership has been pushed further out of reach because not enough housing is being built. As the number of homes on the market across Pennsylvania has dropped by 60%, from 48,199 in January 2017 to just 19,361 in December 2023, the median price of homes has risen by 55% statewide, from $165,000 to $255,000. In northeastern Pennsylvania, it has increased by 73%.5\n<\/p>\n

In Pennsylvania as in most of the United States, individual towns, cities, and counties issue and enforce most land use and zoning regulations. From 2017 to 2023, local governments issued building permits for only enough units to increase the state\u2019s housing stock by 3.4%\u2014well below the United States as a whole, which had a 7.5% increase during that seven-year period. Meanwhile, the number of households in Pennsylvania increased by 5.1%, which is above the increase in the housing stock. Fewer permits issued leads to fewer homes built\u2014a major reason that rents have increased dramatically in Pennsylvania.\n<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania also lagged behind the national average in adding lower-cost homes such as apartments, duplexes, and town houses, in large part because of zoning restrictions.6 Many localities around the state, for instance, allow only one single-family home to be built on land that could instead house more families. Other places have very large minimum lot sizes for new development, precluding efficient land use. Still others limit the viability of potentially more affordable types of housing, such as accessory dwelling units (smaller residential units, such as \u201cgranny flats\u201d or garage apartments, built on a lot with a larger home).\n<\/p>\n

The United States has a nationwide housing shortage. In order to address the deficiency in their states, state-level policymakers in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, and Rhode Island have enacted legislation designed to increase housing supply statewide and stabilize costs. At the city level, Houston and Minneapolis provide examples of how increasing housing supply held down rent growth and improved affordability.\n<\/p>\n

How Pennsylvania compares with other states<\/p>\n


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Pennsylvania ranks below almost all other states in recent new home construction. From 2017 to 2023, its communities issued enough building permits to increase the number of housing units in the state by just 3.4% compared with the number of units that existed in 2017. (Because some of those permits allowed for the replacement of existing homes, that does not mean the total number of units increased 3.4%.) In contrast, in the most prolific state, Utah, the number of permits issued from 2017 to 2023 equaled 19.1% of the state\u2019s 2017 housing supply. Idaho and Texas ranked second and third, with building permits totaling 17.4% and 14.4% of the 2017 housing stock over this period. (See Figure 1.)\n<\/p>\n

Only six states rank below Pennsylvania in the share of new units approved. Nor is this a recent trend: Pennsylvania has issued permits to add only 10% more homes since 2000, compared with a 25% increase nationally.7\n<\/p>\n

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Housing costs have risen the most in northeastern Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

In the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, local governments issued fewer building permits than the rest of the state. From 2017 to 2023, local governments in Monroe County, the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area, and the Lehigh Valley around Allentown approved permits totaling just 2.5% of the 2017 housing supply, less than the already-low statewide figure of 3.4%. (See Figure 2.) Rents rose faster here than in other parts of Pennsylvania\u2014an average of 63%. That shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise: When more people are looking for homes than there are homes available, landlords can raise rents substantially. Landlords don\u2019t have that leverage when there is an abundance of available homes.\n<\/p>\n

From 2017 to 2022, which includes the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the region saw a greater demand for housing. About 97,000 people moved into northeastern Pennsylvania from New York and New Jersey while only about 32,000 Pennsylvania residents moved the opposite way. Rents and home sale prices subsequently rose because there weren\u2019t enough homes, prompting many residents of northeastern Pennsylvania to move to less expensive parts of the state or to states with lower housing costs, such as North Carolina and Florida, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts\u2019 analysis of Internal Revenue Service migration data.8\n<\/p>\n


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Regions where the fewest permits were issued saw the highest rent increases. In the Poconos, for example, Monroe County municipalities issued permits for only enough housing to increase the county\u2019s supply by 2% from January 2017 to December 2023.9 The average rent in Monroe County rose 81% during that time, from $1,032 to $1,870 per month, well above the $1,476 average for Pennsylvania\u2019s 23 counties tracked by Zillow. In Luzerne County, in and around Wilkes-Barre (+1.5% growth in housing permits), renters paid 71% more in 2023 than in 2017. Rent increases were somewhat lower (57%), but still well above the state average, in Lackawanna County (Scranton and its environs), where only 1.6% more homes were approved in those seven years.\n<\/p>\n

By contrast, the two northeastern Pennsylvania counties that approved the most housing (Northampton and Lehigh) experienced the slowest rent growth (+54% and +52%, respectively). (See Figure 2.)\n<\/p>\n

The price of homeownership also soared during this seven-year period, rising 55% statewide. Some jurisdictions saw even faster growth, making homeownership less attainable. Prices rose in the counties containing Allentown (+65%), Lewistown (+67%), Reading (+69%), Pottsville (+78%), and East Stroudsburg (+105%). Price increases this steep tend to occur only when inventory shortages become severe. Such sharp increases are often indicative of a market where not enough starter homes, such as town houses, are being built, partially because of restrictive zoning.\n<\/p>\n

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For residents who have stayed in northeastern Pennsylvania, these increases hurt. Fully 61% of Monroe County renters were considered rent-burdened in 2023, meaning they spent more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities\u2014higher than the 55% of renters nationally or the 53% statewide who had to spend that much. (See Figure 3.)10 The Scranton-Wilkes-Barre region has also become much less affordable, with 58% of renters considered rent-burdened in 2023, compared with 48% in 2017. And 38% of renters in the region were severely burdened, spending more than half their income on housing in 2023. That\u2019s much higher than the 30% of residents who were severely rent-burdened in 2017. (See Figure 3.)<\/p>\n

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\t\tRunaway rents in the Philadelphia suburbs<\/p>\n

Philadelphia and its suburbs present a clear picture of the relationship between new home construction and housing prices. From 2017 to 2023, Philadelphia issued nearly twice as many building permits, proportionally, as Pennsylvania\u2019s statewide average (7.2% versus 3.4%). But the city\u2019s suburbs added less housing\u2014as little as 1.2% in Delaware County and 2.4% in Bucks County. Rents in the city increased by 30% in those seven years, but they rose 44% to 47% in neighboring counties on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. (See Figure 4.)<\/p>\n

Renters felt the pinch, especially in Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware counties, where the share of households spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities rose from 2017 to 2023. The increase was highest in Delaware County, where the portion of rent-burdened households increased 7.1% in seven years.<\/p>\n


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Local governments in Chester and Montgomery counties issued proportionally more permits than neighboring Bucks and Delaware counties from 2017 to 2023, but rents still increased by 44% in both counties in seven years. (See Figure 4.) Moreover, the increase in the number of rent-burdened households\u20146.1% in Montgomery County and 4.8% in Chester County\u2014suggests that even more new homes were necessary to maintain prior levels of affordability.<\/p>\n

In contrast, Philadelphia permitted more housing growth than its suburbs. Partly as a result, the number of rent-burdened households in the city fell by more than eight percentage points as it rose elsewhere. But even this additional housing still fell short of what the city needed: The average monthly rent increased by $394 (30%) from 2017 to 2023, well above the rate of inflation.<\/p>\n

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\t\tCounties that issued the most permits saw the slowest rent growth<\/p>\n

The undersupply of housing and large rent increases also plagued other parts of the state\u2014not just in the Philadelphia region and northeastern Pennsylvania. Several metropolitan areas within about two hours\u2019 drive of Philadelphia also experienced significant population growth (2% or more) and large rent increases from 2017 to 2023, such as Reading (rents +62%) and Lancaster (+57%). Harrisburg (+50%), Carlisle (+49%), and York counties (+49%) had rent increases in line with the 23 Pennsylvania counties tracked by Zillow.\n<\/p>\n

These smaller metropolitan areas remain bastions of relatively affordable housing. December 2023 rents in those five cities averaged $1,364, well below Philadelphia\u2019s suburbs ($1,979) and the city itself ($1,672). But local governments in these areas issued permits for an increase in housing units of about 4.3% from 2017 to 2023\u2014above the state average but well below the increase in Philadelphia. Without the construction of more housing, the relative affordability of these metropolitan areas may be eroded or even erased in the future. Cumberland County, which contains Carlisle and Mechanicsburg, was an exception: The population surged more than 7% from 2017 through 2023, and communities there approved 7,700 building permits, 7.3% of the 2017 housing stock. This new housing was just enough to keep rents to a near-average 49% increase from 2017 to 2023.\n<\/p>\n

Farther west of the Susquehanna River, rent increases were lower than the 46% average in the Pennsylvania counties tracked by Zillow, but higher than Philadelphia\u2019s 30% average increase. Rents in the Pittsburgh region increased 36% from 2017 to 2023, while jurisdictions issued permits totaling only 2.9% of the housing stock. Communities in Erie County, in the state\u2019s northwest corner, issued permits for just 1.3% more homes\u2014and saw rents climb by 40%. Johnstown (Cambria County) was similar: 43% rent growth and permits for only 0.7% more new units.\n<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the two Pennsylvania counties with the smallest rent increases allowed the construction of above-average levels of new housing. Local governments in Butler County, north of Pittsburgh, issued permits to increase the housing stock by 8.4%. Rents grew 29% in seven years. Communities in Centre County, home to Penn State\u2019s flagship campus, allowed permits for 4.9% more units; rents increased 28% from 2017 to 2023.\n<\/p>\n

Examples of local zoning rules that restrict new housing<\/p>\n

Many Pennsylvania communities have laws that limit the construction of new housing, and thus housing supply. One common way zoning laws prevent more housing from being built is by requiring that just one house, which usually houses just one family, sits on a relatively large lot\u2014in some cases, a full acre or nearly two. Examples from across the state highlight the pervasiveness of this policy.\n<\/p>\n

In the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Gwynedd, in Montgomery County, a single-family home requires at least 35,000 square feet of land\u2014more than three-quarters of an acre.11 Nearby Doylestown (Bucks County) requires at least 80,000 square feet of land per home\u2014nearly two acres.12 Both towns\u2014and most other suburban communities\u2014have water and sewer access; the existing infrastructure could serve many more homes than are currently allowed by law. If zoned differently, that one Doylestown lot could hold 40 town houses on 2,000-square-foot lots, with each two- or three-story home as large as the U.S. median new single-family house (2,233 square feet in 2023).13\n<\/p>\n

In northeastern Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, the largest municipality in Monroe County, requires at least 12,500 square feet of land for each house in some areas. Even in the borough\u2019s relatively high-density residential areas, every new house must have at least a 7,500-square-foot lot.14 In the western part of the state, Erie County has a minimum lot size of 7,200 square feet, even in areas with sewer and water service.15 South Fayette, a suburb of Pittsburgh, requires 20,000-square-foot lots for suburban residential homes, even in areas with existing sewer service.16\n<\/p>\n

Philadelphia, on the other hand, has more varied and in some cases more permissive zoning than its suburbs on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. Although minimum lot sizes are as high as 10,000 square feet in some areas of the city zoned for detached single-family housing,17 in other areas, Philadelphia allows single-family row houses on lots as small as 700 square feet. Other parts of the city are zoned to allow multifamily apartments or condominiums and mixed-use buildings. Flexible zoning has allowed for the development of more housing, and Philadelphia issued permits for new housing at about twice the statewide rate from 2017 to 2023; its rent increases were much less than statewide (30% in Philadelphia, compared with 46% in the 23 Pennsylvania counties tracked by Zillow).\n<\/p>\n

Most Pennsylvania communities also either forbid or make it difficult to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which can play an important role in adding more housing units across all neighborhood types. The American Planning Association defines an ADU as \u201ca smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone (i.e., detached) single-family home.\u201d18 There are many different types of ADUs\u2014for example, attic and basement apartments, converted garages, and above-garage apartments. With their combination of proximity to a single-family home and allowance for independent living, ADUs also provide opportunities for aging in place and multigenerational living.\n<\/p>\n

Many jurisdictions do not allow ADUs or allow them only with a special use permit, which adds time and increases approval costs. Even where ADUs are allowed, minimum size regulations prevent them from being built or being financially viable.19 Lehigh County, for example, requires an ADU to have at least 1,000 square feet of living space.20 Cambria County, east of Pittsburgh, has an 800-square-foot minimum.21 Such minimums\u2014roughly twice the size of a typical above-the-garage apartment or granny flat\u2014significantly raise the costs of building an ADU.22\n<\/p>\n

What Minneapolis and Houston did to increase housing supply<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s experience mirrors what\u2019s happening in other parts of the country: Housing costs are rising where population growth is not met by additional housing supply. Although rent growth in Pennsylvania\u2019s counties tracked by Zillow (+46%) was similar to growth in the U.S. as a whole (+47%) from 2017 to 2023, Pennsylvania permitted many fewer housing units (3.4% of the state\u2019s 2017 housing stock, compared with 7.5% for the entire U.S.). More specifically, areas where zoning laws prevent the construction of less expensive housing\u2014such as town houses, duplexes, triplexes, apartment buildings, and manufactured housing\u2014saw large increases in housing prices.23\n<\/p>\n

As counterexamples, Houston and Minneapolis illustrate what governments can do to increase the availability of lower-cost housing. Houston relaxed its minimum lot requirements in the city\u2019s urban core in 1998, reducing the minimum lot size from 5,000 to 1,400 square feet of land for most homes. It expanded this program citywide in 2013.24 The result was a boom in new town houses, many of them affordable to households with median incomes.25 Enabled by lot-size reform and other government actions, Houston issued permits for 102,000 housing units from 2017 to 2023, about 11% of its 2017 housing stock; the city\u2019s average rent increased 28% in that period, 19 percentage points below the national average (47%). (See Figure 5.)26\n<\/p>\n

Since 2009, Minneapolis has also instituted major zoning changes designed to increase its housing supply. It allowed the construction of more apartment buildings along commercial corridors, then reduced and eventually eliminated parking requirements. And in 2020, it began allowing duplexes and triplexes citywide. The results are striking: From 2017 to 2023, the city issued enough building permits to increase the number of housing units by 12%. According to Pew research, the vast majority of those new units were in apartment buildings\u2014and less expensive than single-family homes.27\n<\/p>\n

Minneapolis experienced rent increases well below state and national averages from 2017 to 2023, despite a 12.7% increase in the number of households in the city. (See Figure 5.)28 Had rents in Minneapolis grown as much as in the rest of Minnesota, the city\u2019s renters would be spending an estimated $1,700 more annually in rent.29 In 2017, a Minneapolis resident had to earn 80% of the area median income to afford the median apartment rent. By 2023, that figure had fallen to 66%.30\n<\/p>\n

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What can Pennsylvania do?<\/p>\n

Although land-use regulation and zoning remain largely the responsibility of local governments nationwide, many states have enacted legislation designed to increase housing supply, at least 10 of them\u2014Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington\u2014in 2023 and 2024 alone.31 Montana, for example, passed laws to allow residential buildings in commercial areas, enabled ADUs without parking or owner-occupancy requirements, and streamlined permitting processes.32 Washington made condominium construction easier, allowed small multifamily units in larger cities where only single-family homes had been allowed, and standardized the design review process.33 Laws like these have strong, bipartisan public support, as evidenced by a 2023 Pew survey of 5,051 adults nationwide.34 Eighty-one percent, for instance, supported allowing apartments near bus and train stations or major job centers.\n<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania policymakers have numerous options, which draw on successful policies enacted elsewhere:\n<\/p>\n

Allow small multifamily buildings (duplexes and triplexes) on lots that now permit only single-family homes.<\/p>\n

Permit the construction of accessory dwelling units\u2014including in attics, basements, and backyards\u2014on lots that now permit only single-family homes.<\/p>\n

Reform permitting laws to simplify and speed up the process.<\/p>\n

Allow more apartments near commercial areas and public transportation.<\/p>\n

Reduce or remove minimum parking mandates that increase the cost of building multifamily dwellings.<\/p>\n

Convert commercial buildings to apartments.<\/p>\n

Enable the construction of housing on land owned by nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and religious organizations, such as churches.<\/p>\n

Data from cities such as Houston and Minneapolis, which made similar changes years ago, suggests that these laws are likely to improve housing affordability, saving Pennsylvania residents hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars per year. Had Pennsylvania made some of these changes and added more housing earlier, rents would now be lower.35 Further afield, research from the United Kingdom and Australia suggests that for every 10% that a region adds to its housing supply, housing costs are 11% to 22% lower than they would have been without the additional housing.36 The average rent in the 23 Pennsylvania counties tracked by Zillow was $1,476 in 2023. A 10% increase in housing supply would thus have saved a typical household $162 to $325 per month\u2014as much as $3,900 per year.\n<\/p>\n

These savings would help Pennsylvania residents who are struggling to pay their bills or to become first-time homeowners. Local businesses also would benefit from the additional spending power of residents who were not burdened by large monthly rent payments. The examples provided by other states and localities provide a possible roadmap for Pennsylvania lawmakers looking to increase housing availability\u2014and to give a boost to the state and local economies.<\/p>\n

Acknowledgments<\/p>\n

This brief was researched and written by Pew staff members Seva Rodnyansky, Kery Murakami, and Alex Horowitz. The project team thanks Demetra Aposporos, Esther Berg, Zach Bernstein, Laurie Boeder, Erika Compart, Gabriela Domenzain, Carol Hutchinson, Abi Ingoglia, Avi Meyer, Bernard Ohanian, Briana Okebalama, Chelsie Pennello, Travis Plunkett, Drew Swinburne, Jeff Thiebert, and Gaye Williams for providing important communications, creative, editorial, and research support. <\/p>\n

Endnotes<\/p>\n

Zillow\u2019s Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI) rent estimates reflect the mean of the middle 30% of the rental housing market (the 35th to 65th percentile). The methodology uses a weighted index and assigns a dollar value for each month\u2019s per-unit rent to ease interpretation. We will refer to these as average rent, for interpretation simplicity. See \u201cMethodology: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI),\u201d Zillow Group Inc., https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/research\/methodology-zori-repeat-rent-27092\/<\/a>. In Pennsylvania, ZORI rent estimates are available for 23 counties during our time range. Counties with data from January 2017 to December 2023 include: Allegheny, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Washington, and York. Additionally, Butler, Cambria, Centre, and Westmoreland counties had Zillow ZORI data for some part of 2017 or early 2018 and were included in this analysis for completeness. \u201cZillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI),\u201d Zillow Group Inc., 2015-24, https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/research\/data\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wages in Pennsylvania increased by 26% from 2017 Q1 to 2023 Q2. \u201cAverage Weekly Wage in Total Covered Total, All Industries for All Establishment Sizes in Pennsylvania\u2014Statewide, NSA, Series ID: ENU4200040010\u201d Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2014-2024, https:\/\/data.bls.gov\/series-report<\/a>. Consumer goods prices from \u201cConsumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Shelter in U.S. City Average,\u201d Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/CUUR0000SA0L2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIntercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties in Pennsylvania: April 1, 2010 to April 1, 2020,\u201d U.S. Census Bureau, https:\/\/www2.census.gov\/programs-surveys\/popest\/tables\/2010-2020\/intercensal\/county\/co-est2020int-pop-42.xlsx<\/a>. \u201cAnnual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties in Pennsylvania: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023,\u201d U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, https:\/\/www2.census.gov\/programs-surveys\/popest\/tables\/2020-2023\/counties\/totals\/co-est2023-pop-42.xlsx<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New York City rents are an average of Zillow\u2019s ZORI rents in the five New York City counties: Kings, Queens, New York, Bronx, and Richmond. Suburban New York and New Jersey counties include those in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area available in Zillow ZORI from January 2017 to December 2023. These are Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, and Rockland counties in New York, and Bergen, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Monmouth, Ocean, Union, Passaic, Morris, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. \u201cZillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI),\u201d Zillow Group Inc.<\/p>\n

Average percentage change of Zillow Home Values Index (ZHVI) for Monroe, Northampton, Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Lehigh counties in Pennsylvania. Zillow Group Inc., \u201cZillow Home Value Index (ZHVI),\u201d https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/research\/data\/<\/a>. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, \u201cHousing Inventory: Active Listing Count in the United States,\u201d 2024, https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/ACTLISCOUUS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, \u201cReducing Land Use Barriers to Affordable Housing, Planning Series #10,\u201d 2015, http:\/\/www.alleghenyplaces.com\/pdf\/Reducing%20Land%20Use%20Barriers%20to%20Affordable%20Housing.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cState of the Cities Data Systems: Building Permits Database,\u201d U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1980-2023, https:\/\/socds.huduser.gov\/permits\/index.html<\/a>. Brian Potter, \u201cWhy Are There So Few Economies of Scale in Construction?,\u201d https:\/\/www.construction-physics.com\/p\/why-are-there-so-few-economies-of<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSOI Tax Stats\u2014Migration Data,\u201d Internal Revenue Service, https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/statistics\/soi-tax-stats-migration-data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Local governments issue building permits to builders allowing them to add new housing units. Building permits are an estimate of expected demand for new housing units. Issuing a building permit does not necessarily mean that a building is built or a home is added. In Pennsylvania, for every one unit added to the housing stock from 2000 to 2023, 1.14 units were permitted; nationally, for every one unit added to the housing stock from 2000 to 2023, 1.01 units were permitted. Not issuing building permits means no new units are added. \u201cState of the Cities Data Systems: Building Permits Database,\u201d U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.<\/p>\n

Monroe County housing cost burdens are based on the figures for the East Stroudsburg MSA, which encompasses Monroe County.<\/p>\n

A-1 Residential District: Permitted Uses, 1258.03.a.3, Township of Lower Gwynedd, PA, https:\/\/ecode360.com\/13449907#13449909<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dimensional Requirements, 175-17:G2, Township of Doylestown, https:\/\/ecode360.com\/10730600#10730601<\/a>.<\/p>\n

U.S. Census Bureau, \u201cHighlights of 2023 Characteristics of New Housing,\u201d https:\/\/www.census.gov\/construction\/chars\/highlights.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Table of Bulk Regulations Governing the Size of Lots, Yards and Buildings for Permitted Uses Only, 157-36, Borough of East Stroudsburg, 2022, https:\/\/ecode360.com\/attachment\/EA0636\/EA0636-157b%20Table%20of%20Bulk%20Regulations.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Erie County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance: Lot and Yard Requirements, 502.9.a, Erie County, PA, 2019, https:\/\/eriecountypa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Erie-County-SALDO-as-Amended-5-28-19.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

R-2 Suburban Residential District: Area and Bulk Regulations, 240-23.a.2.b, Township of South Fayette, PA, https:\/\/ecode360.com\/11615744#11615795<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Code: Zoning and Planning: Development Standards: Dimensional Standards for Lower Density Residential Districts, 14-701-1, City of Philadelphia, https:\/\/codelibrary.amlegal.com\/codes\/philadelphia\/latest\/philadelphia_pa\/0-0-0-292815#JD_14-701<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccessory Dwelling Units,\u201d American Planning Association, https:\/\/www.planning.org\/knowledgebase\/accessorydwellings\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Zoe Harper, \u201cADU Laws and Regulations in Pennsylvania,\u201d Steadily, Jan. 18, 2024, https:\/\/www.steadily.com\/blog\/adu-laws-and-regulations-in-pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lehigh County Zoning Code\u2014Minimum Habitable Floor Area, 180-35, Lehigh County, PA, 2023, https:\/\/ecode360.com\/13034192#13034292<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cambria County Zoning Code: Conversion Apartment, 27-901, Cambria County, PA, 2013, https:\/\/cambriaplanning.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/chapter-27-zoning.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTiny Home Regulations in PA: The Complete Guide,\u201d Zook Cabins, https:\/\/www.zookcabins.com\/regulations\/tiny-home-regulations-in-pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore Flexible Zoning Helps Contain Rising Rents,\u201d The Pew Charitable Trusts, Alex Horowitz and Ryan Canavan, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/articles\/2023\/04\/17\/more-flexible-zoning-helps-contain-rising-rents<\/a>. \u201cRigid Zoning Rules Are Helping to Drive up Rents in Colorado,\u201d Alex Horowitz and Ryan Canavan, The Pew Charitable Trusts, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/articles\/2023\/04\/27\/rigid-zoning-rules-are-helping-to-drive-up-rents-in-colorado<\/a>. \u201cNew York\u2019s Housing Shortage Pushes up Rents and Homelessness,\u201d Alex Horowitz, The Pew Charitable Trusts, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/articles\/2023\/05\/25\/new-yorks-housing-shortage-pushes-up-rents-and-homelessness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For every area that had wastewater collection services. Emily Hamilton, \u201cThe Effects of Minimum-Lot-Size Reform on Houston Land Values,\u201d Mercatus Center of George Mason University, 2024, https:\/\/www.mercatus.org\/research\/working-papers\/effects-minimum-lot-size-reform-houston-land-values<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cLot-Size Reform Unlocks Affordable Homeownership in Houston,\u201d The Pew Charitable Trusts, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/issue-briefs\/2023\/09\/lot-size-reform-unlocks-affordable-homeownership-in-houston<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cZoning Reform Can Reduce Homelessness,\u201d Alex Horowitz and Lisa Marshall, The Pew Charitable Trusts, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/about\/news-room\/opinion\/2024\/02\/19\/zoning-reform-can-reduce-homelessness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMinneapolis Land Use Reforms Offer a Blueprint for Housing Affordability,\u201d Alex Horowitz, Linlin Liang, and Adam Staveski, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Jan. 4, 2024, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/articles\/2024\/01\/04\/minneapolis-land-use-reforms-offer-a-blueprint-for-housing-affordability<\/a>.<\/p>\n

City of Minneapolis, Zoning Code Text Amendments Subdivision Ordinance Amendments Heritage Preservation Ordinance Amendments (2018), https:\/\/www2.minneapolismn.gov\/media\/content-assets\/www2-documents\/business\/Zoning-Code-Text-Amendments-Approved-2004-2018.pdf<\/a>. Alex Horowitz, Linlin Liang, and Adam Staveski, \u201cMinneapolis Land Use Reforms Offer a Blueprint for Housing Affordability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex Horowitz, Linlin Liang, and Adam Staveski, \u201cMinneapolis Land Use Reforms Offer a Blueprint for Housing Affordability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months,\u201d U.S. Census Bureau, https:\/\/data.census.gov\/table\/ACSDT1Y2011.B25070?q=B25070&g=310XX00US33460<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rachel Ozer-Bearson Shazia Manji, \u201cPro-Housing Designation Programs: How States Are Incentivizing Pro-Housing Reform,\u201d Terner Center for Housing Innovation, 2024, https:\/\/ternercenter.berkeley.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/TernerCenterProHousingDesignationPrograms.pdf<\/a>. Salim Furth Eli Kahn, \u201cBreaking Ground: An Examination of Effective State Housing Reforms in 2023,\u201d Mercatus Center at George Mason University, 2023, https:\/\/www.mercatus.org\/research\/policy-briefs\/breaking-ground-examination-effective-state-housing-reforms-2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Salim Furth Eli Kahn, \u201cBreaking Ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salim Furth Eli Kahn, \u201cBreaking Ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSupport for Policies That Promote More Housing Crosses Geographic Lines,\u201d Alex Horowitz and Tushar Kansal, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Jan. 31, 2024, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/articles\/2024\/01\/31\/support-for-policies-that-promote-more-housing-crosses-geographic-lines<\/a>. \u201cStrong Support Across Partisan Lines for Policies That Boost Housing,\u201d Tushar Kansal and Andy Winkler, The Pew Charitable Trusts, https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/articles\/2024\/05\/29\/strong-support-across-partisan-lines-for-policies-that-boost-housing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trent Saunders and Peter Tulip, \u201cA Model of the Australian Housing Market,\u201d Reserve Bank of Australia, 2019, https:\/\/www.rba.gov.au\/publications\/rdp\/2019\/pdf\/rdp2019-01.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Based on a compilation of supply elasticity of housing price estimates from the United Kingdom and Australia. Trent Saunders and Peter Tulip, \u201cA Model of the Australian Housing Market.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Overview Housing costs rise when there are not enough homes to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[8346,3969,8343,4736,8344,8341,8339,7391,28,30,29,3975,8340,8345,8342],"class_list":{"0":"post-10326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pennsylvania","8":"tag-alex-horowitz","9":"tag-building-civic-infrastructure","10":"tag-fiscal-and-economic-policy","11":"tag-housing","12":"tag-housing-policy","13":"tag-improve-economic-advancement","14":"tag-issue-brief","15":"tag-minnesota","16":"tag-pennsylvania","17":"tag-pennsylvania-headlines","18":"tag-pennsylvania-news","19":"tag-pew-charitable-trusts","20":"tag-strengthen-state-government","21":"tag-texas","22":"tag-us-state-policy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}