Housing affordability is so strained that teachers would need to double their pay to buy the typical house
Teacher wages aren’t rising enough to match the housing affordability crisis.
It’s no secret it’s become increasingly difficult for most people to buy a home in the U.S. With mortgage rates above 7% and home prices continuing to rise, it’s challenging, in many cases, for the average American to buy a house—even hopeful homebuyers who make the greatest sacrifices.
In fact, teacher pay would need to nearly double in order for them to afford a typical home in the U.S. Considering the level of selflessness teachers dedicate to their students, they continue to be severely underpaid. The median U.S. teacher salary in the U.S. is just over $64,000, yet Americans need to earn an annual income of more than $113,000 to afford a median-priced home, according to a Redfin report released this spring. And there’s no sign those figures will fall anytime soon: The median monthly mortgage payment has increased a whopping 90% above pre-pandemic levels, according to Redfin.
What’s more, teachers can afford only 14% of homes within commuting distance from their school, according to a new Redfin report released Wednesday.
“The cost of both renting and buying are near record highs, but affordability is more strained in the for-sale market because prices are rising relatively quickly, mortgage rates remain elevated, and the shortage of available properties is more severe,” Redfin economists wrote.
Many teachers have shared on TikTok that same sentiment that the housing market is strained—both in terms of price and availability. One teacher called the homebuying process “a little awkward, very embarrassing, and completely humbling.”
“I got the call that I’m not getting the house. I didn’t qualify,” said TikTok user @ms.guy, who has more than 160,000 followers and over 10 million likes on her posts. “Final update on the home buying process: it’s over. Trying to find a place to live as soon as possible process: ongoing. ‘[I’ll] just rent because home buying is not for Ms. Guy right now.”
Why it’s so hard for teachers to buy a home
The crux of the housing affordability issue is teacher wages aren’t increasing enough to keep pace with the rising cost of buying a house. Other public workers, including police officers and firefighters, also struggle to buy a house, Jesse Saginor, an associate professor of real estate development at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, told Fortune.
“In general, wages have not kept up with the cost of housing, and major coastal metros have had home values increase far more quickly,” Saginor said. “For instance, the median home value in Palm Beach County, Fla., is $493,662, nearly half a million dollars. The median teacher salary [there] is $42,473. The issue is the general lack of affordable housing.”
And Saginor expects teachers’ situation to continue to worsen.
“The typical teacher salary has not kept up with the cost of housing,” Saginor said. “Areas that may have the most demand for teachers may also have an influx of population, which would also increase the demand for housing and, assuming that supply lags behind demand, would continue to make housing more expensive.”
However, some home builders and real estate developers have taken the issue to heart and are starting to build houses at lower price points. One example is Denver-based Challenger Homes, which has move-in ready new construction homes with prices as low as $370,000. By comparison, the average sales price of new houses sold in June was $487,200, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Challenger Homes also offers a program called Hometown Hero Homebuyer benefits, which includes a $2,500 credit available to teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, doctors, and nurses that can be used toward the design of the new home or a discount off its price.
Challenger Homes’ programming allows buyers in the “missing middle,” or “those who don’t qualify for low-income housing, but might struggle with the cost of market-rate homes,” Matthew Rankin, vice president of operations at Challenger Homes, told Fortune.
Still, Rankin doesn’t expect a turnaround overnight.
“The affordability of housing for teachers is likely to remain a significant challenge in the near term,” Rankin said. “However, it will be interesting to see if a potential rate cut in September could help decrease interest rates, which would make mortgage payments more affordable. While this could ease the financial burden for some, it might also increase competition among buyers, further complicating the housing market.”
