Politico

From coastal cities to rural mountain towns to flat Midwestern communities, nearly every pocket of the country is lacking housing units to keep pace with their populations and job growth, driving up prices well above the rate of inflation and resonating with voters as a core issue as homelessness spikes. The nation is short millions of homes, and sales fell to their lowest level in three decades last year due to high prices and mortgage rates.

To understand which communities are facing the dual threats posed by housing shortages and flood risk, POLITICO analyzed two data sets.

The National Association of REALTORS®, a trade association, tracks housing supply among large metropolitan areas. In order for housing supply to meet demand, one new housing permit is typically needed for every two jobs created in a metro area, according to NAR.

[Robin] Webb’s [Democratic state senator from eastern Kentucky] district is in the Huntington-Ashland metro area, which spans Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio and has the fourth-highest housing shortage in NAR’s analysis. Florida is another hotspot facing housing shortages coupled with high flood risk. The area is also facing a need for more housing permits, according to NAR, after experiencing an influx of residents in recent years.

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