Data source explanation
What is housing data?
Housing data includes information about home prices, rent, mortgage rates, property taxes, insurance, utilities, ownership, vacancy, and housing affordability.
For the Wealth Reform Project, housing data matters because housing is often the largest household expense and one of the main ways families either build wealth or are prevented from building wealth.
Why it matters
A household may have a steady income but still be unable to save if rent, mortgage payments, utilities, insurance, and transportation costs absorb most of its budget.
Housing is also connected to wealth concentration. Home ownership can create equity over time, while high rents can transfer income away from households that are already struggling to accumulate assets.
Useful categories
| Category | Examples | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Home prices | Median sale price, price indexes | Shows whether buying a home is becoming more or less reachable. |
| Rent | Median rent, rent burden, regional rent levels | Shows pressure on renters and ability to save. |
| Mortgage rates | 30-year mortgage rate, monthly payment estimates | Shows how interest rates affect affordability. |
| Income comparison | Housing cost compared with household income | Shows whether local wages and incomes can support local housing costs. |
| Ownership and vacancy | Homeownership rate, rental vacancy, housing supply | Shows whether housing access and supply conditions are changing. |
Possible source types
Housing data may come from several places, including Census housing tables, FRED housing series, Federal Reserve data, local government records, mortgage rate data, and private or nonprofit housing datasets.
Because housing data is spread across many sources, this project should begin with a small number of reliable public datasets before adding more complicated regional or private sources.
How this source will be used
Housing data will support the Housing Cost Pressure Index. The project can use it to compare rent, home prices, mortgage payments, and household income across places and over time.
The goal is to show how housing costs affect economic security and wealth-building, not merely whether prices are rising.
Possible first charts
- Median home price compared with median household income.
- Rent burden by state or county.
- Mortgage rate changes and estimated monthly payments.
- Homeownership rates over time.
- Housing cost pressure by region.
Connection to proposals
Housing data is directly connected to the Housing Cost Pressure Index. It may also support future proposals involving zoning reform, renter protections, first-home savings support, public housing investment, property tax reform, mortgage policy, and anti-speculation rules.
Current project status
Housing data has been identified as a priority source area. The next step is to choose the first few public housing indicators that are simple, reliable, and useful for explaining household pressure.