National Housing Stability Index

The National Housing Stability Index reveals a sobering reality: housing instability is accelerating across American cities faster than policy responses can address. Our analysis of 52 metropolitan areas finds that 67% of cities show declining stability scores over the past 24 months, with mid-sized cities (250K–750K population) experiencing the most rapid deterioration.

The crisis extends beyond affordability. Our index tracks four core dimensions: cost burden (housing costs as percentage of income), vacancy pressure (distressed and abandoned properties), displacement risk (neighborhood change patterns), and recovery capacity (availability of contractors, financing, and organizational infrastructure).

Perhaps most troubling is the coordination gap. Cities with high stability scores typically share one characteristic: a coordinated framework connecting data systems, implementation capacity, and funding mechanisms. Only 12% of tracked cities have developed such coordination.

This report provides the baseline measurement for ongoing tracking. Future editions will measure progress—or continued decline—and identify the intervention points most likely to shift trajectories.