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A tool kit to close California’s housing gap –�3.5 million homes by 2025

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California’s population is growing and incomes are rising, creating more demand for housing

SOURCE: US Census Bureau; McKinsey Global Institute analysis

Net change in population, 2009–14,

Thousand people

-2%

9%

Change in household area median income, 2009–14 �Percent

-12%

14%

NOTE: Shaded regions represent 98% of state population; unshaded regions represent 2% of state population and lacked sufficient data

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But California has not built enough housing to meet �rising demand

SOURCE: US Census Bureau; McKinsey Global Institute analysis

Population added

1,000 people

Housing units added

Number

State

Ratio of housing units added to population added

Units per 1,000 people

Texas

California

2,964

358

4,201

Arizona

New York

616

Washington

Nevada

Oregon

806

Massachusetts

890

352

406

140,578

179,542

311,648

338,508

912,340

1,400,749

142,190

364,530

308

400

410

333

549

387

+78%

397

442

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SOURCE: US Census Bureau; Moody’s Analytics; McKinsey Global Institute analysis

Housing units per capita, 2014 �Units per 1,000 people

Maine

Wis-�consin

Florida

Oregon

Nevada

Arizona

Massa-�chusetts

New�York

Texas

Utah

Wash-�ington

New�Jersey

Cali-�fornia

US average = 419

State ranking

50

49

47

43

41

37

36

35

33

30

8

7

1

49th

In fact, �California ranks

out of 50 states �in housing units per capita

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We estimate that California would have to add �3.5 million housing units by 2025 to meet �pent-up demand and accommodate �its growing population

SOURCE: US Census Bureau; Moody’s Analytics; McKinsey Global Institute analysis

3.5

16.0

2.0

Current�stock

Total housing�backlog by 2025

Current housing�backlog

Demand addition �by 2025

1.0

Current�demand

2.5

1.5

14.0

Gap to fill�by 2025

New units at �current construc-�tion rates

California’s housing supply gap, Million housing units

Number of housing units needed in California to supply market at the same per capita rate as New York or New Jersey (i.e., 406 units per thousand people—still significantly less than US average)

Additional units needed to supply California’s population growth through 2025 (at same per capita rate as New York or New Jersey)

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Rising housing demand, chronic �undersupply, and escalating prices �have led to a statewide housing �affordability crisis

SOURCE: US Census Bureau; Zillow; McKinsey Global Institute analysis

1 Number of households in MSA unable to afford the local cost of rent, �as a share of the total number of households in MSA.

NOTE: Shaded regions represent 98% of state population; unshaded �regions represent 2% of state population and lacked sufficient �data for analysis

  • Across the state, nearly 50% of California households are unable to afford the cost of housing in their local market

  • The problem is pervasive: In every housing market in the state, at least 30% of households cannot afford the local cost of housing

  • In cities such as LA and San Francisco where housing prices are most disconnected from average incomes, nearly 60% of households cannot afford the local cost of housing

Households in MSA unable to afford rent

Thousand

30%1

57%

2,368

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The poor are hit hardest — �but the middle class is squeezed, too

SOURCE: US Census Bureau; Zillow; McKinsey Global Institute analysis

1 >30% of income required to cover local cost of housing; 2 >50% of income required to cover local cost of housing.

Above moderate

Moderate

Low

Very low

Extremely low

Income level

49

13

14

13

11

>120

80

120

50

80

30

50

<30

Definition

% of AMI

6.1

1.7

1.8

1.6

1.4

Total California

households

Million

Share of California

households

%

5

53

96

100

100

Percentage unable to afford housing1

0

0

40

97

100

Percentage extremely

unable to afford housing2

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In dollar terms, California’s housing crisis costs the state more than $140 billion in lost economic output per year

SOURCE: US Census Bureau; Zillow; McKinsey Global Institute analysis

10.35

0.01

23.69

Distribution of affordability gap

$ billion per year

Lost economic �output per year

$140

billion

Annual housing �affordability gap

$50

billion

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To fix this problem, California could build more than five million housing units �in “housing hot spots” — which is more than enough to close the gap

SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis

993

793

2,989

225

103

High

Low

Total

2,856–5,614

1 Estimate for single-family potential capacity is highly conservative as it examines only three counties: Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Contra Costa.

Build on vacant urban land that cities have already zoned for multifamily development

Intensify housing around transit hubs

Add units to existing single- family homes

Add units to underutilized urban land zoned for multifamily development

Develop affordable and adjacent single-family housing1

Potential additional housing units

000

Tool

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To close the housing gap, California needs to change the rules of the game �for housing approvals, cut the cost and risk of producing housing, and ensure housing access

SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis

Unlock supply by cutting the cost and risk of producing housing

Unlock supply by cutting the cost and risk of producing housing

Change the rules of the game for approving housing on high-potential land

Remove barriers to housing development

Ensure housing access

Ensure housing access

Incentivize local governments to approve already planned for housing

Accelerate land-use approvals

Prioritize state and local funding for affordable housing

Attract new investors in affordable housing

Design regulations to boost affordable housing while maintaining investment attractiveness

Raise construction productivity

Deploy modular �construction

Accelerate construction permitting

Reduce housing �operating costs

Align development impact fees with housing objectives

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