Affordability and Availability of Rental Housing in Pennsylvania

By Erin Mierzwa, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and Kathryn P. Nelson, Ph.D., Consultant, Affordable Housing Needs, with Harriet Newburger Ph.D., Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

The Community Development Studies and Education Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia undertook this study, Affordability and Availability of Rental Housing in Pennsylvania, to assess the housing needs of Pennsylvania’s lower-income renter households and to better understand how their needs vary across the state. The study looks at the incidence of housing problems among this group at both the beginning and the middle of the previous decade. It also considers the extent to which there were shortages in the number of rental units that were both affordable and available to lower-income renters at these two points in time. The findings strongly suggest that conditions faced by the lowest income renters in Pennsylvania deteriorated from the beginning to the middle of the decade.

New Rental Housing Data Based on the 2005-07 American Community Survey (ACS)

See a presentation providing an overview of findings of new ACS data and a comparison to key findings of the original study, detailed data tables, and notes providing additional information on the differences in data sources used to prepare the new and original estimates.

To access different sections of the study, click on the links below, or you can order a print copy.

Report Sections

Executive Summary HTML | PDF (5 pages, 258 KB)
Chapter 1: Introduction HTML | PDF (3 pages, 198 KB)
Chapter 2: Housing Characteristics
HTML | PDF (8 pages, 293 KB)
Chapter 3: Housing Conditions in 2000
HTML | PDF (11 pages, 650 KB)
Chapter 4: A Mid-Decade Update
HTML | PDF (15 pages, 1.27 MB)
Chapter 5: Next Steps HTML | PDF (5 pages, 260 KB)
Appendix A: County-Level Characteristics
PDF (22 pages, 660 KB)
Appendix B: Past Research and Strategies
PDF (8 pages, 229 KB)

Appendix C: Methodology PDF (4 pages, 194 KB)
Appendix D: County-Level Examination
PDF (18 pages, 381 KB)
Appendix E: Using ACS Data PDF (6 pages, 206 KB)
Appendix F: Changes: 1990 to 2000 PDF (15 pages, 413 KB)
Appendix G: Changes: 2000 to 2005–06
PDF (10 pages, 354 KB)
Bibliography HTML | PDF (2 pages, 49 KB)
Glossary HTML | PDF (3 pages, 96 KB)
Complete Report (146 pages, 3.83 MB)
Main Report (55 pages, 2.47 MB)
Appendices (83 pages, 1.49 MB)

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the many people who helped us with this report.

Last updated: Tuesday, April 26, 2011