Editorial selection · Lives & Places
The American Affordability Tracker
Selected by Dylan Ratigan.
Article summary
The tracker brings together national, state and available congressional-district data on housing, health care, childcare, energy, earnings and financial distress. The Urban Institute estimates that 49% of people in American families lack resources to cover essential expenses for secure living in their community.
Its latest update reports electricity costs outpacing earnings in 31 states and marketplace benchmark premiums rising 22% year over year, while rents have recently grown more slowly than earnings in most states. The mixed picture helps distinguish acute pressures from areas where trends have eased.