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Conditions and Risks

An examination of housing suitability and threats to safety and affordability.

The number and cost of housing units tell only part of the story. Size, condition, accessibility, and location also determine whether the housing stock meets the needs of the population. Even those homes that are working well today may be at risk in the near future. The growing threat of natural hazards from water, wind, and fire threatens to damage or destroy a large number of homes. Other homes may be lost to long-term residents not because they are destroyed, but because they are converted to seasonal homes or short-term rental properties.

Conditions and Risks—Highlights

  • Over half the homes in the state have three or more bedrooms, making them suitable for larger families who need more room than the average household. However, only 38% of these homes are occupied by families with children. The rest are occupied by groups of adults, couples, or even people living alone (14% of all 3+ bedroom homes.)
  • There is a profound shortage of homes accessible for people with disabilities, especially low-income households. There are 650,000 households where at least one member has a disability, but only 10,200 accessible homes are reserved for low-income households.
  • While the state has identified financially feasible pathways for adoption of high efficiency standards in new construction, the existing housing stock will require significant upgrades to meet emissions reduction targets: 73% of homes still use on-site fossil fuels (gas or oil) for heating, and retrofitting these homes can be costly and complicated.

Family-Sized Units 

Accessible Housing  

Energy Efficiency  
  • Natural hazards, especially flooding, are damaging homes well outside previously mapped hazard areas. One recent analysis estimated that 193,000 properties in Massachusetts face a substantial risk of coastal flooding, and the property damage from inland flooding is projected to rise by 44% over the next 25 years.
  • Cape Cod, the Islands, and Western Massachusetts lost an estimated 9,000 year-round homes to seasonal conversion from 2010 to 2020.

Natural Hazards and Climate Threats 

Seasonal Housing Conversion 

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