New PolicyMap and Moody’s Analytics Report Reveals Neighborhood Level U.S. Housing Shortage Analysis

New data shows a national two million‑unit shortage, exposing hidden deficits in middle‑income neighborhoods despite surpluses in wealthier areas

PHILADELPHIA, July 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — PolicyMap, a leading geospatial data platform, in partnership with Moody’s Analytics, Reinvestment Fund, and Urban Institute, today released the first national analysis of America’s housing shortage at the neighborhood level, using census tract data from nearly 350 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000. The study, Bringing the Housing Shortage Into Sharper Focus, surpasses broad national and metro-level estimates to analyze the supply of and demand for housing at the local level.

Specifically, the report identifies a shortfall of about two million homes, and more importantly, it reveals how that shortage varies across neighborhoods. By examining thousands of census tracts, the research shows where supply gaps of homes for owners and renters are most severe and how those local shortages relate to neighborhood income.

“It’s so important to be able to understand this data with this level of granularity,” said Maggie McCullough, CEO and founder of PolicyMap. “We can now see not just how many homes are missing, but where they’re needed, whether they should be rental or owner-occupied, and which income groups are most affected. By partnering with Moody’s Analytics, we combined their estimation model with our granular spatial data to give policymakers a more actionable roadmap.”