Recent data shows a significant drop in housing affordability across the United States. This situation has caused a shift in where people live and has made government intervention necessary.

近期數據顯示，全美國的住房負擔能力大幅下降。這種情況導致了人們居住地點的轉移，並使得政府干預成為必要。

The 2026 State of the Nation's Housing report from Harvard University describes a general increase in the cost of maintaining a home. Between 2019 and 2025, average property taxes rose by 31%, while monthly insurance premiums increased by 72%. These financial pressures, combined with inflation and high mortgage rates, have led to a record low in residential mobility; consequently, only 11.2% of households moved in 2024.

哈佛大學 2026 年的《國家住房狀況》報告描述了維持房屋成本的普遍增加。在 2019 年至 2025 年間，平均房產稅上升了 31%，而每月保險費增加了 72%。這些財務壓力，加上通貨膨脹和高房貸利率，導致住宅流動性降至歷史最低水平；因此，2024 年僅有 11.2% 的家庭搬遷。

Rental markets are facing similar problems. In 2024, about 50% of renters spent at least 30% of their income on housing, and 26% spent more than half of their earnings. This burden is most severe for low-income renters, as 83% of those earning under $30,000 annually struggle with housing costs. Furthermore, although more homes were built after the pandemic, high construction costs mean that new properties are too expensive for low- and middle-income people. This is shown by the 127,000 unsold homes in January 2026, the highest number since 2009.

租賃市場面臨類似的問題。2024 年，約 50% 的租客將至少 30% 的收入用於住房，而 26% 的租客支出超過其收入的一半。這種負擔對低收入租客最為嚴重，年收入低於 3 萬美元的人群中，有 83% 在住房成本方面陷入掙扎。此外，儘管疫情後興建了更多房屋，但高昂的建築成本意味著新房對低收入和中產階級來說過於昂貴。2026 年 1 月有 127,000 棟房屋未售出即可證明這一點，這是自 2009 年以來的最高數字。

To deal with these challenges, more people are choosing to live in multigenerational homes. Data from the National Association of Realtors shows that 17% of homebuyers bought properties suitable for multiple generations between July 2023 and June 2024. This trend is strongest in California, especially in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, local governments are trying different solutions. For example, Minneapolis removed rules that allowed only single-family homes, and New York proposed 200,000 new units. However, the Harvard report emphasizes that local efforts are not enough without federal funding to tackle homelessness and climate change.

為了應對這些挑戰，更多人選擇居住在多代同堂的家庭中。美國全國房地產代理協會的數據顯示，在 2023 年 7 月至 2024 年 6 月期間，17% 的購屋者購買了適合多代同堂的物業。這一趨勢在加州最為強烈，尤其是在洛杉磯。與此同時，地方政府正在嘗試不同的解決方案。例如，明尼阿波利斯取消了僅允許單一家庭住宅的規定，而紐約則提議新建 20 萬個單位。然而，哈佛報告強調，若沒有聯邦資金來解決無家可歸和氣候變化問題，單靠地方努力是不夠的。

The United States continues to face a complex housing crisis with high costs and low mobility, which requires coordinated action from all levels of government.

美國持續面臨複雜的住房危機，成本高且流動性低，需要各級政府採取協調行動。