While much of the economy has fared better than expected during the COVID-19 pandemic, racial and ethnic minorities have faced enormous challenges over the past two years. Entering the pandemic, non-white households were more likely to be poor and to…
After an extended run of intense competition and high prices in the residential real estate market, 2022 is bringing signs that the market could begin to cool soon. With inflation on the rise and home prices still rising, more buyers…
Today’s real estate market remains highly challenging for many buyers. With a limited supply of homes and a high number of buyers, prices have soared to record heights over the past two years. One of the underlying factors contributing to…
For much of the COVID-19 pandemic, favorable financial conditions for many middle and upper-income households have brought a rush of new homebuyers into the real estate market. In 2020 and 2021, increased savings rates and government stimulus allowed millions of…
Litter is a nationwide problem, but communities across the country have significantly different experiences with waste. According to the 2020 National Litter Study from Keep America Beautiful, there are nearly 50 billion pieces of litter in U.S. roadways and waterways,…
The average American spends about 90% of their time indoors and sits for a significant portion of the day. Researchers attribute a wide range of health problems to predominantly indoor (and often sedentary) lifestyles. For one, prolonged sitting is associated…
Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing spread of the virus and an uneven economic recovery have hobbled some sectors while others continue to experience rapid growth. One of the industries in the latter group is construction. Recent…
High-density housing can provide a number of important benefits to communities and the residents who live there. All else being equal, research suggests that residents in high-density communities tend to be more physically active and healthy. Their costs for utilities…
Approximately 44 million U.S. households (or 35% of total) are renters, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Renters tend to move much more frequently than homeowners. For example, 51% of renters surveyed in the 2019 American Community Survey…
One of the major economic stories in recent months has been rising concerns about inflation. While year-over-year wage growth in the U.S. has reached its fastest rate in decades this year, the benefit of rising wages for most households has…
No household wants to face a pest problem, but over 14 million U.S. households encounter rodents, roaches, or other pests each year, according to the Census Bureau. These pests can trigger a variety of health concerns including asthma and may…
While the majority of Americans take running water and indoor plumbing for granted, a surprising number of residents don’t have running water, flushing toilets, or showers in their homes. In fact, according to a U.S. Water Alliance report, over 2…
As with many industries, the construction industry experienced major setbacks in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction projects across the U.S. stopped, and employment in the industry fell by 14% from March 2020 to April 2020. While the…
More than 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, much about the pandemic-era economy remains unusual and difficult to analyze. From a labor market that has both worker shortages and high unemployment to supply chain breakdowns and inflation fears, it has…
The residential real estate market has been booming during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more buyers looking for homes and competing for unusually low levels of inventory. With new supply desperately needed, the market currently presents enormous opportunities for builders and…