DuPage County Is Facing an Affordable Housing Crisis
Housing Prices Soar. In 2007, the median sales price for a single-family home in DuPage County was the highest in the state.1 The median value for a single-family home in DuPage rose to $350,000 in 2007.
Housing Prices Outpace Incomes. Median home values rose over 58% between 2000 and 2006. However, median incomes rose only 8.5% between 2000 and 2006.2
Homeowners and Renters Struggle. About 42% of DuPage renters are cost-burdened, paying 30% or more of their incomes on rent. About 34% of DuPage homeowners are dedicating 30% or more of their incomes on housing costs.3
Two-Wage Earner Families Struggle. The combined median salary of a firefighter and an elementary school teacher in DuPage would still not be enough to afford the median home value in DuPage County.4
Regulatory Barriers Impede Affordability. A survey of developers and builders in the region revealed that 93% of those surveyed believe that local regulatory barriers impede the development of affordable housing (e.g. restrictive zoning ordinances and burdensome permit requirements).5
The "Cost" of the Jobs-Housing Mismatch. According to a study completed by the Boston Consulting Group, the direct costs of the jobs-housing mismatch are $200-$300 million per year in the Chicago region.6
Housing Shortage = Traffic Congestion. Since 1970, DuPage has seen a 478% increase in the number of commuters coming into DuPage to work. That’s higher than any of the other five counties in the region, including Cook.7
Now, almost half of commuters working in DuPage each day come from elsewhere in the region.8
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1 Illinois Association of Realtors 2007. 2 U.S. Census 2000 and American Community Survey (U.S. Census) 2006; Multiple Listing Service. 3 American Community Survey (U.S. Census) 2006. 4 Based on Illinois Department of Employment Security median salary figures for DuPage County 2007. 5Eliminating Barriers: Letting the Market Help Meet Illinois Housing Needs. Business and Professional People for the Public Interest. 2003. 6Recommendations for Developing Attainable Workforce Housing in the Chicago Region. Chicago Metropolis 2020. 2002. 7Commuting in the Chicago Area: Emerging Trends. UIC Urban Transportation Center. 2003. 8 Brookings Institution Center on Urban & Metropolitan Policy. New Realities for a New Region: Not Your Parents’ Chicagoland; Presentation to the MacArthur Foundation, October 2003.