Even as Greater Boston sees increases in houses and condominiums for sale, the region has one of the largest housing deficits in the country.
Greater Boston had a combined shortage of 150,541 for-sale and rental units in 2023, according to an analysis of the most recent data by Zillow economists.
That gave the region the fourth-worst deficit out of the 50 major metros researchers looked at, after San Jose, San Diego and San Francisco in California.
“The unfortunate fact is that we still don’t have enough housing in this country for people who need it. Construction has helped prevent the housing deficit from ballooning, but it hasn’t yet begun to close the gap,” Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow, said in a statement. “We know what works: lower building restraints to allow for more density and less expensive housing. More of these measures at the local level can help get more homes built and begin to ease this outsize financial burden for millions of Americans.”
America’s housing deficit grew to 4,699,836, Zillow found, with a 2.8 percent decrease in the number of available units year-over-year. Builders completed 1.45 million units in 2023 and saw further gains in 2024, with 1.63 million units being added.
Pandemic-era construction and changes in demand lowered Boston’s housing deficit by 4,571 units in 2023, Zillow said.
Across the country, 3.4 million homes sat vacant and available for rent or for sale, according to Census data analyzed by Zillow.
Also, 8.1 million American families shared their homes with people who weren’t related to them, Zillow said, highlighting affordability issues currently plaguing the market. Millennials share housing with non-relatives more than any other generation, making up 38 percent of the families “doubling up” in 2023, according to Zillow.