How bad is the housing affordability problem?

[Daniel]

This Fortune article has some interesting data. I'll quote some of it that stood out to me after I read it again.

I knew some of this information, only because I've observed it. I already knew what the numbers would look like, but to see them reported is still somewhat shocking.

https://fortune.com/2026/04/22/home-prices-out-of-control-affordibility-crisis/

[wtg]

I hit Fortune's paywall...here's a non-subscription version:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/society-culture-and-history/social-issues/the-housing-affordability-crisis-isn-t-just-crushing-millennials-it-s-squeezing-out-buyers-in-their-40s-50s-and-beyond-too/ar-AA21seDP

[Daniel]

Thanks! It let me read it once, and when I back, it blocked me.

[Daniel]

Ok, it wasn't the fact that housing affordability had been getting worse that got my attention. That's kind of obvious. It wasn't the fact that all age groups are getting hit. I didn't know this but it didn't surprise me. It seems akin to the fact that all age groups are among the newly homeless.

The part that stood out to me was the following. It proves something I've been thinking for several years.

"The AEI also calculates the share of house-key holders by income, specifically for that “first-timers” group. As of 2022, only one-quarter of families earning $50,000 to $75,000 owned homes, rising to just 30% in the $75,000 to $100,000 tier. By comparison, 70% to 80% of households making $175,000 and up have captured the long-standing American Dream."

A family or an individual needs an upper-middle class income today to afford a middle class lifestyle.