Do You Make Enough to Live Where You Work?

What if the people who keep a city running -- including urban planners -- can't afford to live there? An updated database highlights the gap between incomes and housing costs in hundreds of U.S. cities.

1 minute read

August 16, 2013, 8:00 AM PDT

By Anna Bergren Miller @abergrenmiller

rutlo / flickr

That “if” is already a “when” in many metropolitan areas, according to data in the Center for Housing Policy’s Paycheck to Paycheck database. In San Francisco, for instance, the cost of a two-bedroom apartment (about $1,795 a month) already exceeds what urban planners and other professionals can pay. If you’re a housekeeper, a bank teller, or a groundskeeper, forget about even a one-bedroom apartment in the metro area.

“This ultimately means that people needed to work in downtown restaurants and hospitals, or well-to-do neighborhoods, often must live at the far reaches of a metro area,” Emily Badger writes. “Or it means they’re spending way more on their housing than a family budget can really afford.”

FULL STORY: The Many, Many Jobs That Won't Earn You Enough to Live in Your City

Thursday, August 15, 2013 in The Atlantic Cities

Housing United States Affordable Housing Rental Market Center for Housing Policy Income View More

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