Economics of Housing
This year’s theme – Economics of Housing – invites students to explore one of the most essential and complex parts of everyday life. Housing shapes where people live, work, and build community. It reflects a variety of economic forces, such as supply and demand dynamics, geographic mobility, public policy, and long-term investment.
The Economics of Housing theme encourages students to think critically about how housing markets function. Whether examining challenges of renting or buying, analyzing the role of interest rates and mortgages, or considering how zoning, construction costs, and demographic trends shape availability, this year’s theme offers students the opportunity to connect economic principles to real-world questions that affect individuals, families, and communities.
We have provided an online collection of different resources available to help students begin to explore this year’s theme. We invite High School Fed Challenge teams to submit academically researched podcast scripts on any topic that relates explicitly to this theme.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) produces economics account statistics to follow and understand the performance of the nation's economy. BEA collects source data, conducts research and analysis, develops and implements estimation methodologies, and disseminates statistics to the public. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measures labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Home Ownership Affordability Monitor (HOAM) provides a monthly measure of the median-income household’s capacity to afford the median-priced home at the national, metro, and metro-county levels. The New York Fed’s Housing page in its Microeconomics section features an overview of consumer expectations and behaviors in the housing market—featuring key data and analysis from its Survey of Consumer Expectations, such as projected home-price and rent growth, intentions to buy or move, and mortgage-financing trends. The Federal Reserve Board publishes an annual report with a dedicated section on housing costs, homeownership rates, renters’ financial constraints, and insurance coverage. Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) is an online database maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. FRED consists of hundreds of thousands of economic data time series from national, international, public, and private sources. FRED combines data with a mix of tools that help users understand, interact with, display, and spread the data. JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization that provides a digital library of academic content, including journals, books, and primary sources. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is a private, nonprofit organization that conducts and disseminates nonpartisan economic research. It is nonpartisan and refrains from making policy recommendations, focusing instead on providing background studies and data that underlie decision-making in both the public and private sectors. Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides information on national housing programs, policies, and community development resources. The U.S. Census Bureau provides current facts and figures about America’s people and the economy. The World Bank provides research and publications on major areas of development and global issues. Their Open Knowledge Repository includes reports and articles on music and communities.This podcast episode provides an example of an economics podcast script as well as information about the economics of working remotely.
