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Firefighters. Police officers. Teachers. Government employees. Service workers. Nurses. Medical Assistants.
These icons above represent just a handful of hardworking individuals and families in our community who struggle to find housing that is affordable in Collier County. In fact, a 2021 report by the University of Florida Shimberg Center for Housing Studies and The Bureau of Economic and Business Research found 49,399 households in Collier County are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their monthly income on housing. Of those local, cost-burdened households, 29,059 or 59%, are considered severely cost-burdened which means they spend more than 50% of their income on housing expenses.
According to the 2022 Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Occupational Employment Statistics and Wages, 35% of the jobs in Collier County pay less than $35,000 per year with 58% paying less than $45,000 per year. Someone earning a $45,000 yearly salary should be able to afford a housing payment of $1,125 per month. However, 2023 reports have captured the following rent and home sales data:
Sources: University of Florida Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, Zillow Research, and Apartment List Methodology, 2023, and NABOR Market Report, October 2023
You may find this data sobering, and it’s no wonder: Pre-COVID, more than 61% of the jobs in Collier County paid less than $33,250 per year, while the average monthly rental cost was averaging more than $1,500 a month, and the average home price started around $341,000.
“It is the opinion of the panel that Collier County absolutely has a housing affordability problem,” according to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) report, which can be found here.
A 2023 FGCU Lutgert College of Business Regional Economic Research Institute and Lightcast report found that 52,749 people commute to work every day from outside of Collier County. Almost 30%,or more than 15,800, of these commuters are coming from east coast counties. These commuters represent employees who work in Collier but live in Lee, Charlotte or other counties in which they spend their wages on rent, taxes, mortgages, groceries, gas and other necessities. Many public-sector employees and large segments of the private sector simply cannot afford to live in Collier County. Their daily commutes from neighboring communities add to traffic congestion and diminish quality of life and active citizen participation.
Providing access to affordable housing closer to jobs reduces commute times and costs, increases quality of life and assists in supporting a healthy local economy. That is why the county is working to address the issue in a variety of ways, including the creation of special incentives for developers to provide housing at affordable prices in their plans and offering programs to assist prospective homebuyers and renters. Current examples of communities with housing affordability options include Allura, Bristol Pines, and Dockside among others.
Collier County’s Community and Human Services Division offers a wide range of resources for anyone interested in the topic of affordable housing, seeking it or providing it. We are proud to support our community, families and all individuals looking for the perfect place to call home.
Here are some policy-based decisions that are garnering positive results in our communities: