Livingston County is staring down a housing shortfall that local leaders say could choke job growth, fuel brutal commutes and make finding a rental feel like winning the lottery. A new analysis projects the county will need roughly 16,000 additional homes by 2035, yet recent building trends are nowhere near that mark.
Study Finds 16,000-Unit Shortfall
According to a press release from the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce, a Housing Needs Analysis conducted by ECOnorthwest for Community Catalysts estimates Livingston County will need about 16,033 new housing units by 2035. To get there, the report says the county would have to boost construction to around 1,600 units per year, roughly triple what has typically been built in recent years.
Who Produced the Study and What Comes Next
Community Catalysts commissioned the Housing Needs Analysis and is working with the Livingston County Planning Department on a zoning build-out analysis. The press release notes that the group has also brought in Flywheel to lead a strategic initiative through the end of 2026.
Production Gap and Who Is Squeezed
Local reporting shows the county has been adding only about 500 to 760 housing units per year, even though the study says it needs a “run rate” of roughly 1,600 units annually to catch up. That gap is expected to squeeze both low-income workers and households higher up the market, according to WHMI.
About 35 percent of the needed homes are for households earning less than 60 percent of the area median income, while 53 percent are for households earning more than 150 percent of AMI. That mix is contributing to fiercer competition for lower-cost rentals, as higher-earning households hunt in the same limited pool.
Workers Cannot Afford to Live Where They Work
Local analysis shows the typical hourly renter wage in Livingston County is about $12.26, while a worker needs around $20.77 an hour to afford a modest two bedroom unit. That mismatch pushes many employees to live outside the county, commute in and compete for a tight supply of rentals. Those affordability calculations were highlighted in reporting and local data analyses, including Drawing Detroit.
Local Reaction and the Push for Action
Broadcast coverage from CBS Detroit summed up the findings and noted that business and chamber leaders are now pressing for faster, coordinated steps to turn the analysis into actual housing projects. Chamber and economic development officials say the study gives them the hard numbers they need to shift the conversation from anecdote to specific policy changes and permitting decisions.
What Comes Next for County Leaders
Officials say the next phase will stitch together the target market analysis and the zoning build out work into a concise housing action framework to guide zoning reforms, infrastructure spending and potential financing tools. Stakeholder meetings and planning sessions are expected to continue through the rest of 2026 as local leaders debate where to allow denser housing and additional workforce rentals, according to WHMI.
