Headline Roundup • May 21st, 2024
Red vs Blue vs Swing States: Which Has Better Housing Affordability?
Polarization,Housing And Homelessness,Housing Market,Economy And Jobs,Republican Party,Democratic Party,Politics,Federal State And Tribal Powers,Affordable Housing
Summary from the AllSides News Team
An analysis by Realtor.com (Center bias) showed homes were more affordable in Republican-voting states than Democratic-voting ones, with swing states somewhere in the middle.
Key Quote: Realtor.com senior economic data analyst Hannah Jones said, “Swing states tend to be more affordable than the U.S. average, though less affordable than Republican states, on average. This dynamic remained intact as affordability worsened across all states and the U.S. between 2021 and today.”
For Context: Housing affordability has become a key political issue in the 2024 elections. In its analysis, Realtor.com defined “housing affordability” with an “affordability score”: an index that “reflects the share of home listings in a market that are affordable to those at various local income levels” and “reflects only home prices, and not rents.”
How the Media Covered It: The New York Post (Lean Right bias) reposted most of Realtor.com's article, but omitted several quotes from non-political experts. Furthermore, its headline stated that “a home’s affordability may depend on the political leanings of your state” — appearing to presume a causal relationship despite Realtor.com making no such claim. Instead, Realtor.com quoted some experts who cited population density and geography as potential factors. On the other hand, USA TODAY (Lean Left bias) highlighted separate data from Rent.com to discuss rental prices, which could signal a focus on the interests of people in urban areas, and Newsweek (Center bias) highlighted Idaho and Montana's low Realtor.com affordability scores.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Realtor.com; Getty Images (2)
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, home prices and housing affordability are emerging as hot issues in the swing states that will decide the election.
While the housing crisis is an issue across the country, an analysis of Realtor.com® affordability score data shows distinct trends separating red states, blue states, and the seven key swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
On average, red states are more affordable than the U.S. as a whole, and blue states are less affordable. The swing state average sits in the middle, slightly more...
Xeni4ka / IStock Via Getty Images
John Pike’s biggest fear is ending up on the street.
For years, the retired 79-year-old Madison, Wisconsin, resident has barely made ends meet, with no discretionary income to speak of. Most of his Social Security check of $1,578 goes toward rent. At $1,220, that's more than 77% of his monthly income. Between the rising cost of food prices since the pandemic and his prescription medication, there’s hardly anything left.
When his lease expires in September, the rent on his apartment, where he’s lived for the past 24 years, will go...
AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, home prices and housing affordability are emerging as hot issues in the swing states that will decide the election.
While the housing crisis is an issue across the country, an analysis of Realtor.com® affordability score data shows distinct trends separating red states, blue states, and the seven key swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
On average, red states are more affordable than the US as a whole, and blue states are less affordable.
The swing state average sits in the middle, slightly more affordable than...
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