Montana’s housing market is the least affordable in the country. That’s according to data analysis by the National Association of Realtors.
According to data from Zillow’s Housing Index, average home prices have nearly doubled since the spring of 2020.
A National Association of Realtors analysis shows Montana has become the least affordable market in the country in that time, surpassing states like California and Idaho.
It compares average home prices to a state’s average income. Montana has the largest gap between the two.
The picture is not great for renters either. The Montana Budget and Policy Center found nearly a quarter of Montana renters spend more than half of their monthly income on rent.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates Montana needs more than 30,000 affordable rentals to meet demand.
The 2023 Montana Legislature passed a series of bills aimed at increasing housing supply. Gov. Greg Gianforte’s Housing Task Force last month released a series of policy recommendations for lawmakers to consider when they reconvene in January.
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Montana policymakers made housing affordability a top issue at the statehouse, but mobile home park residents feel left out. After three legislative sessions of asking for more tenant protections, there’s been little change to the law. Residents are facing rent hikes and insecurity as parks are sold, often to out-of-state buyers. -
Montana has received federal approval to provide Medicaid-funded housing services to assist those with behavioral health needs find housing. -
Roughly 250,000 homeowners and small businesses are projected to see a break on rising property taxes under two bills Gov. Greg Gianforte signed. -
Montana renters who apply for an apartment, but don’t get it, are now entitled to a refund of their rental application fee. That’s due to a new law signed this month by Gov. Greg Gianforte. -
The Missoula City Council last week approved a plan to build a large housing development for senior citizens. Councilors said affordable, senior-friendly housing was a need in the city and the state as a whole. -
Dozens of service providers from dentists and doctors to public defenders packed the Missoula Public Library earlier this month. They offered a one-stop-shop for residents in need as the city begins to close one of its homeless shelters.
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With HUD grants in limbo, Kalispell shelter breaks ground on affordable housing project. Opioid overdoses in Montana are rising. -
Gov. Greg Gianforte was in Butte Wednesday to tout his Administration's efforts to construct new affordable housing. He also called on lawmakers to allocate $100 million to build more homes. -
People on fixed incomes hoping to apply for Montana’s property tax assistance program will need to get their paperwork in by April 15. Qualifying applicants could receive a reduced property tax rate of up to 80 percent on the first $350,000 of their home’s market value. -
Montana lawmakers recently passed a bill that will allow communities with a resort tax to fund workforce housing to help Montanans live where they work.
