RHODE ISLAND has fewer new houses developed per capita than any other state in the country, according to a report by Oregon-based Matin Real Estate. / COURTESY MATIN REAL ESTATE

By Jacquelyn Voghel
Providence Business News

PROVIDENCE – As many Rhode Islanders struggle through a housing crisis, the Ocean State has fewer new houses built per capita than any other state in the country, according to a Matin Real Estate report.

Rhode Island was last nationally, with just 1.27 new housing developments per 1,000 residents based on figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and consumer data firm Statista, the Portland, Oregon-based company said.

That aligns with data previously reported by ONE Neighborhood Builders. The Providence-based nonprofit, also drawing from the U.S. Census, in September reported that the state was last in the nation for single-family building permits issued per capita in 2021, citing the same rate of permits issued per residents.

Rhode Island’s lack of affordable housing has been widely highlighted by state nonprofits: According to HousingWorksRI’s 2022 Housing Fact Book, released in October, Rhode Island’s single-year housing costs increased at their highest rate since a 2001-2004 surge, and nearly 70% of jobs in state-designated “high-growth sectors” do not pay enough to support average housing expenses.

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