Survey: A Third of Americans Have Trouble Finding Affordable Housing Near Work

Fannie Mae and research firm Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) recently released survey data on how Americans feel about housing affordability and its relation to other factors, such as childcare options and job opportunities. The survey found that one in three people have trouble finding affordable housing near their workplace, with 31 percent of Americans saying they live further from their job than they'd like because they can’t afford to live closer. Nearly half of Americans say they can’t afford to live in a community with access to better schools or childcare, and almost 60 percent of people report that communities with better job opportunities are too expensive for them to live in.

The data comes from PSB’s monthly online survey of the general population (the “Pulse Poll”) conducted between April 8–12, 2019 with a sample size of 988 and a margin of error of +/- 3.12 percent. The Pulse Poll sample is weighted to match the U.S. Census, including a reflective sample of gender, age, and education level breakdown.