2019 Hawaii Housing Planning Study

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the nation after Florida (59.0%) and California e. Crowding and Doubling-up (57.2%). Crowding and doubling-up are frequently used STI ratios usually rise slowly over time and have measures of housing condition. Both are changed very little in Hawaii in recent years.4 STI accepted as indicators of housing issues. They ratios for rented households are higher than are are thought of as measures of pent-up demand those for homeowners and rise a bit faster over for housing and as a sign that household time. The depressed housing market of the formation may be constricted. nineties held prices and rents in check while the burgeoning economy raised household incomes. We sometimes hear that Hawai`i's doubling-up Housing prices soared between 2003 and 2006 rate is the result of our propensity for extended and pushed the number of renter households family living. Our relatively large household size paying more than 30 percent of their income for supports that idea. However, survey questions shelter to 48 percent in 2006, climbing to 60 measured doubling up for financial reasons only percent in 2011 and 2016. The current STI ratio and show substantial doubling rates. for renters has improved somewhat, with just over half of all renter households spending more than In past studies, crowding was measured using the 30 percent of their income on housing.5 Census method (the ratio of persons in the household to rooms in the unit they occupy). In The shelter-to-income data show different levels 2016. We switched to the persons per bedroom of housing affordability across counties (Table 3). definition, which we believe is the more The City & County of Honolulu and Maui County appropriate measure for housing planning.6 had the largest percentage of households with STI ratios of less than 30 percent (46.9% and Doubling-up includes having more than two 47%, respectively). That was an 18 percent generations in the household, having unrelated increase over 2016. Kauai County had the individuals in the household, or having same- largest percentage of households paying more generation relatives in the household. In all than 40 percent of their income for shelter cases, the Housing Demand Survey shows that (27.1%), followed by Hawaii County with 23.6 doubled-up persons are in the household percent. because they cannot afford to live elsewhere. Table 4 shows HHPS crowding and doubling-up data for the State and each of the counties. The 1992 study followed a major price run-up during which high prices kept many would-be buyers from entering the market. The study conducted in 1997 was nearing the end of a very long market recovery during which incomes were catching up with prices and crowding was notably lower than in 1992. The 2003 measure was taken at the beginning of the next price run-up. 4 See Table A-10 and A-11 in the Appendix for trend data. 6 Crowding based on persons per bedroom is consistently 5 ACS, Table B25070, 2006-2017. only 4-8% higher than crowding levels based on persons per room. Hawai'i Housing Planning Study,2019 Page 7 ©SMS December,2019