2025 Washtenaw County Housing Study

In August 2025, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation released a report by the nation’s leading housing planning consultants — a data-rich analysis of the countywide housing market. Key findings include:

• No countywide ‘housing crisis,’ though Washtenaw faces a shortage of affordable housing for lower-income households. Addressing this requires community commitment, investment, and regulatory support.

• The market cannot deliver affordability for low-income households: new homebuyers need incomes above $150k, while quality two-bedroom rentals require around $100k.

• A countywide planning and land-use agreement is urgently needed to focus efforts where they are most effective.

• New mixed-income, multi-family rentals are needed countywide, especially near jobs, with prime locations along Washtenaw Avenue between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

• Speculator-driven oversupply is a danger: demographic turnover and economic uncertainty make overbuilding a risky bet

• More senior housing is needed as Boomers age out of their homes and moving these onto the market, easing supply pressures.

Source: Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation https://www.aaacf.org/news/housing-study