THE FACTSPopulation in Mass is 7 million.Housing units in the state 3 million.62% of the housing units are owner occupied.Average amount of people per household 2.5 and the number is declining.All above data from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MA/PST045222THE PROBLEM200,000 housing units are needed statewide. This is the number the housing activists are floating around.Average cost per new unit construction is running $900,000 in Cambridge.Using those numbers $900,000 times 200,000 units is 180 Billion. For point of reference the state is projected to spend a bit over 50 billion this year.There are 351 communities in the state. If every single community did their “fair share” and created the same amount of units that would be 200,000 units divided by 351 or 570 additional units per community.by Allen Hebert
Frequently Asked Questions
How many new housing units are needed in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts needs approximately 200,000 new housing units across the state. This figure is often cited by housing activists, highlighting a significant demand in the region.
What is the estimated cost to build new housing units in Massachusetts?
The average cost to construct a new housing unit in Cambridge is around $900,000. Multiplying this by the estimated 200,000 needed units results in a staggering $180 billion total construction cost.
What is each community's fair share of new housing construction?
To meet the need for 200,000 new housing units, each of the 351 communities in Massachusetts would have to build an average of 570 new units. This illustrates the scale of the challenge across all municipalities.
How does the cost of new housing units compare to the state budget?
The total projected cost of building 200,000 new housing units at $900,000 each is $180 billion. This figure is significantly higher than the state's current annual budget, indicating a major financial undertaking.
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