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UHERO details issues in the sad state of housing in Hawaii

By Staff | Jul 7, 2023

A new report by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) assesses the current state of housing in Hawaii, and there are some ugly truths.

Available for review at https://uhero.hawaii.edu/the-hawaii-housing-factbook/, “The Hawaii Housing Factbook” concludes: “Residents of Hawaii face the highest housing costs in the nation. High housing costs lower the standard of living for residents and hinder the State’s ability to attract workers. Some households are forced to live in crowded conditions, some leave the state to find housing elsewhere, and some are forced to survive without housing at all.”

It’s shocking to read that fewer than one-third of households in Hawaii can afford the typical local home.

UHERO released this first edition of what will be an annual report to inform discussions and potential policy decisions on the way forward for housing in Hawaii.

The report shares data at the state, county and zip code levels. UHERO noted that zip code level data — which has been largely unavailable until now — can improve the understanding of local markets.

Also included is zoning, rental market, property market and housing stock data.

Later this year, UHERO will launch an online data portal dedicated to housing. The portal will provide additional data and allow the public to explore and download the information for themselves.

Hopefully, this report will be a wake-up call to state and county officials, as researchers reiterated that Hawaii has the most restrictive land use regulations in the nation.

According to the report, “Addressing the housing crisis, and measuring progress, should be based on clear and accurate measurement of our challenges. By sharing data through this report, we hope to contribute to a more informed housing debate.”