This week, the Boston Foundation, Boston Indicators, and Boston University released the 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card , offering a detailed look at how the region’s housing market is changing and where challenges remain. The report indicates that while Greater Boston is making progress, the region’s housing pressures are still severe. Home prices and rents have leveled off in 2025 but remain near record highs. A household that needed $98,000 to buy a modest home in 2021 now needs more than $160,000, and only a small share of renters can afford to buy. Since 2020, Greater Boston has added more than 70,000 new homes, but new building permits are down 44 percent since 2021, signaling a slowdown in future supply. Homelessness also remains high, and while fewer families are currently in shelters, the report notes that it is not yet clear whether families are finding stable housing, relocating, or moving into other temporary arrangements.
These findings highlight both the scale of the challenge and the importance of continuing to advance the tools now available to communities. The Affordable Homes Act is strengthening Massachusetts’ ability to build and preserve affordable housing, modernize public housing, and support renters through new investments and programs. And across the state, 158 communities have now adopted local zoning that allows more multi-family homes near transit through the MBTA Communities Act, helping neighborhoods grow in ways that improve access to jobs, reduce long commutes, and make it easier for people to stay connected to opportunity.
Reaching the goal of 222,000 new homes by 2035 will take commitment, creativity, and collaboration at every level of government and across every community. By building on what works and following through on our shared goals, Massachusetts can ensure that everyone has a safe, stable home in the community of their choice.