St. Joseph County
Housing Needs Assessment

This dashboard was created by CommunityScale as a public platform to access and engage with the Regional Housing Study, led by a partnership of regional planning collaborators including the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership (SBERP), and the Community Foundations of Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph Counties. This page summarizes the Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) for St. Joseph County as prepared to support the overall Regional Housing Study

St. Joseph County Housing Needs Assessment

A foundational component of the Regional Housing Plan, this Housing Needs Assessment is the result of extensive quantitative data analysis and stakeholder engagement to understand housing needs and opportunties in St. Joseph County.

This Housing Needs Assessment document is also availble in a much more detailed, downloadable pdf format:

CommunityScale

The Housing Needs Assessment includes the following sections:

People: Analysis of the community's household demographics, housing characteristics, and affordability levels.

Place: Analysis of the community's housing supply, market conditions, and development trends.

Demand: Assessment of the communities projected housing demand accross income levels and unit types.

Results: Recommended 10-year housing production target to address need, capture demand, and keep up with growth.

People

The following section profiles the people of St. Joseph County, detailing characteristics such as income, household structure, and cost burden. These indicators combine to describe the local population's housing needs and preferences which inform this report's recommended strategies for new housing production to meet demand and fill gaps in affordability and attainability.

St. Joseph County's population is growing older

In general, younger households are more likely to prefer family-oriented housing and neighborhoods where as older households may have a broader range of preferences and priorities, including senior options.

The 65+ age cohort is projected to grow fastest over the next decade, becoming a significantly larger share of the population.

This chart illustrates trends in population by age cohort, both historic and projected. The projection is based on recent trends extended. Depending on economic, policy, and other conditions, the future age distribution may vary over time.

65+ leads net new household growth between 2024-34

St. Joseph County’s population has been aging over the past decade, with the 65+ age group growing faster than other groups and projected to outpace others into the future.

This chart summarizes net household change by age group.

Middle-income households have limited housing options in St. Joseph County.

The following analysis examines household characteristics and housing need in terms of household incomes relative to the local Area Median Income (AMI). For example, households within the "60-80%" group earn between 60% and 80% of the HUD-established AMI for the metro area. Each household AMI group has a different need for monthly housing costs.

St. Joseph County has a relatively low middle-income population, suggesting a shortage of "missing middle" housing options.

These households typically represent a community’s “middle class” workforce, including public safety officers, skilled nurses, educators, and municipal employees. St. Joseph County's low proportion of 80-120% AMI households is likely a result of limited available housing options at price points this group can afford, requiring they live elsewhere.

Projected growth is mostly lower-income

St. Joseph County’s household population has grown slowly since 2010. In terms of relative income levels, most of the growth has been concentrated among higher-income households, especially the >120% AMI group.

Most of St. Joseph County's projected growth is among higher-income households.

Other income cohorts have not been growing at similar rates.

AMI group 2010 2022 2034
<30% 18,449 18,996 19,156
30-60% 23,942 23,409 22,325
60-80% 12,966 13,481 13,408
80-100% 10,163 10,538 10,905
100-120% 8,390 8,993 9,758
>120% 26,631 32,049 37,057

Demographics by income level

These charts break down socioeconomic and demographic indicators by income in terms of AMI level.

Non-white households are more likely to be low-income in St. Joseph County

St. Joseph County’s lowest income groups are its most racially diverse, especially the <30% AMI group. Other income levels are relatively consistent in their ratios of white and non-white households.

Family households tend to be higher income than non-family households

Families with children are most commonly in the >120% AMI group. Nonfamily households are predominantly low-income (this group includes one-person households). Families without children (such as couples) are most common at the >120% AMI level.

Most households aged 65+ are lower incomewhile most middle-aged households are higher income.

Most households in the >65 age group have incomes below 60% AMI. Households between 25-64 are most prevalent in the >120% AMI but also particularly numerous in the 30-60% and <30% AMI groups. The small group of youngest households (<25 years) are more concentrated at lower income levels.

People with disabilities are more likely to be seniors.

St. Joseph County’s resident population includes many people with disabilities that may restrict their housing choices. People with disabilities are most common in the 65+ age group but they are represented across all age groups at some level.

Cost burden in St. Joseph County

Households are cost burdened when paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs. They are considered severely cost burdened when these costs exceed 50% of their income. For renters, this includes lease rent and utilities. For homeowners, this includes mortgage costs, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and any condo fees.

Lower-income households are much more likely cost-burdened (homeowners and renters alike)

In St. Joseph County, most households earning below 30% AMI are cost burdened. Most households earning above 30% AMI are not cost burdened, especially among higher income groups.

Place

The following section profiles the community spatially and assesses St. Joseph County's housing stock and affordability, detailing characteristics such as structure type, bedroom count, and development timeframe as well as household costs and market pricing for local rental and ownership units.

Incomes and affordability are unevenly distributed across the region.

Explore this interactive map to compare neighborhoods in terms of income and other indicators.

Uneven mix of housing options

St. Joseph County households have very different housing choices available depending on if they buy or rent, such as in terms of fundamental features like structure type and number of bedrooms.

Most single-family homes are ownership and most multi-family are rental.

This graph inventories the local housing stock in terms of each unit's structure type, a characteristic defined as the number of units in the building that contains a given unit.

Most ownership units are larger and most rentals are smaller

This graph inventories the local housing stock in terms of bedroom count by unit by tenure. The majority of St. Joseph County’s housing units are two bedroom or larger, especially among ownership units.

The affordability gap is widening.

As home prices and interest rates rise, homeownership is increasingly out of reach in St. Joseph County.

This chart compares the median listing price in St. Joseph County with the home value affordable to a household earning the median household income. A wider gap means higher barrier to entry for first-time homebuyers and increased risk that an existing resident might be priced out of the community if they choose or need to move to a different house.

The calculations behind this chart include consideration of mortgage interest rates, typical down payments, and added monthly costs such as private mortgage insurance, property tax, home insurance, condo fees, and utilities.

Home values have more than doubled in the past decade.

This chart tracks the typical market value for single family homes and condos over the past several years. The adjacent table translates these values into monthly costs (mortgage + tax and other costs).

Most current homeowners may not be able to afford current prices.

This chart summarizes the distribution of costs across all ownership units in the area, most of which last transacted years ago. About 46% of St. Joseph County homeowners pay below $1,800/mo compared to the $1,958 and $1,718 required to afford a condo and single family on today’s market.

Home type Typical price Monthly cost
Single family $212,259 $1,718
Condo $244,186 $1,958

Today's average asking rent in St. Joseph County is $1,359

The average asking rent should be understood as the typical cost to a household signing a new lease under current conditions. In reality, because this is a single average value, actual asking rents may vary depending on characteristics such as size, location, and property features but they will collectively track along this trendline.

About 62% of St. Joseph County renters pay less than $1,800/mo.

This chart summarizes the distribution of costs across all ownership units in the area, most of which last transacted years ago.

These charts reveal the significant difference between how much most homeowners and renters currently pay per month and it would cost per month to own a home or rent a unit on today’s market.

Shortage of lower-cost and smaller units

Comparing the needs of current residents with the current housing stock reveals potential misalignments between supply and demand. This is an instructive but largely hypothetical analysis due to the scale of the gap and the challenge of delivering new affordable housing in large quantities.

Housing needs of current residents

This chart simulates the unit mix today’s local population would choose if all households could move into units that match their likely bedroom preferences and willingness to pay.

Current housing supply and gaps

These charts compare this “need” to the current housing stock. Highlighted positive gaps indicate under-supply; negative gaps indicate oversupply.

Bedrooms Need Supply Gap
0-1 bed 18,946 14,080 4,866
2 beds 33,342 32,175 1,167
3 beds 36,166 47,024 -10,858
4+ beds 19,020 24,796 -5,776
Monthly cost Need Supply Gap
<$650 22,603 19,023 3,580
$650 - $1,350 33,179 23,228 9,951
$1,350 - $1,800 15,830 13,468 2,362
$1,800 - $2,250 9,768 10,599 -831
$2,250 - $2,650 7,214 9,120 -1,906
>$2,650 18,880 32,884 -14,004

Housing production has slowed in recent years.

St. Joseph County grew steady for many decades but construction has tapered off since 2010.

St. Joseph County saw relatively consistent housing production for most of the 20th century but the pace has slowed considerably in the past two decades. This table chronicles the community's development history, indicating decades with relatively more or less construction activity. 2020 or later is approximate as new housing units are completed.

About 5,680 units have been permitted over the past decade.

Building permitting history is a proxy for construction activity over time. St. Joseph County has seen uneven permit activity over the past decade with some years approaching or exceeding 1,000 units and other years showing much fewer.

Recent multifamily development has focused around downtown neighborhoods.

Most multifamily rental development since 2014 has been focused in and around downtown South Bend and Mishawaka.

CommunityScale

About 1,518 multifamily rental units have been built since 2014, consisting mostly of one bedroom units with relatively low rents.

Unit size Average rent Of total
Studio $1,087 7%
1 bedroom $1,311 52%
2 bedrooms $1,980 32%
3+ bedrooms $2,605 9%

Demand

In order to calibrate future housing production to best meet the community's needs, two factors must be established: how many units are needed in total and what is the right mix of unit types and prices. The following section addresses each of these factors to inform recommendations that effectively meet local need and reflect the community's values and priorities.

Sources of housing demand in St. Joseph County

St. Joseph County's housing demand orginates from both current and new households.

Based on the analyses contained within the People and Place sections of this report, St. Joseph County’s housing demand is driven by a number of factors that include both unmet demand among existing residents and new growth among projected and potential future residents. This chart illustrates demand origins on the left and demand drivers on the right.

CommunityScale

Each demand driver in more detail below followed by an estimated quantification of total demand by income level.

Attainability gaps

There are not enough low-cost units to meet demand among low-income residents.

The gap analysis compares St. Joseph County’s distribution of household incomes to its mix of housing options by cost to uncover potential supply shortages at different price points. The analysis identified a shortage of 15,893 units across a range of price points below $1,800 per month.

Adding units at these price points would help take pressure off existing residents currently experiencing cost burden.

Downsizing seniors

A growing number of seniors will seek new housing options as they age.

St. Joseph County’s seniors currently comprises a modest portion of the total population but this share is expected to grow over the next 10 years. Most of these seniors live in relatively large units of 3 or more bedrooms.

65+ households of 1-2 people in 3+ bedroom units 24,026
Potential annual downsizing rate 3%
Units needed to accommodate downsizers over 10 years 7,208
Given changing housing preferences and needs as people age, it is likely a portion of these senior households will explore downsizing options such as a smaller, accessible unit with fewer bedrooms located in a walkable location. If 3% of these households sought new units to downsize into each year, the county would need to add 7,208 units appropriate for seniors over the next 10 years.

Organic household growth

St. Joseph County is expected to grow modestly over the next decade.

Recent trends suggests St. Joseph County should expect to grow by 4,285 new households over the next 10 years.

To meet the trends extended growth projection, St. Joseph County would need to add 4,875 housing units over the next decade. This figure combines demand driven by net household growth as well as other factors which also contribute to maintaining a suitable housing supply over time such as adjustments for overcrowding, vacancy, and background housing replacement.

Workforce housing

There are more workers than jobs in St. Joseph County.

St. Joseph County contains about as many jobs as workers. About 86.9% of the people working in St. Joseph County live in the County as well. While many of the workers who commute into the city simply choose to live somewhere else, a portion of these workers may prefer to live in the County if the right housing options were available. Increasing the rate of local workforce living in St. Joseph by 2.5 percentage points by 2034 would require providing 3,527 additional households.

“Workforce housing” is typically considered affordable to 80-120% AMI, a segment of the population vulnerable to displacement if they cannot find adequate and affordable housing, including police, firefighters, teachers, skilled nurses, and municipal employees.

Jobs in St. Joseph County 171,667
Workers that live and work in St. Joseph County 149,162
Portion of local workforce that live in St. Joseph County 86.9%
Desired portion by 2034 89.4%
Additional workforce households (and units) by 2034 4,292
Source: StatsIndiana 2022, CommunityScale

Housing demand by income level

There is demand for 28,580 units over the next 10 years.

AMI Total demand (units)
<30% 4,624
30-60% 9,951
60-80% 2,992
80-100% 2,732
100-120% 2,771
>120% 5,511
28,580
The table above summarizes the demand generated by the factors described in this section of the analysis. These figures account for potential overlap between different demand factors to avoid double counting, resulting in a total that might be less than the sum of the factors. For example, many senior households fall into bot attainability gaps and potential downsizer categories.

Each source of demand includes a different mix of household incomes.

CommunityScale

The diagram above illustrates how St. Joseph County’s 10-year housing demand translate into income levels. While this distribution reflects expected demand over the next 10 years, it does not necessarily coincide with the housing production target in the following Results section. Housing for each income level requires a different set of policies, programs, and subsidies to build. In many cases, there simply is not enough capacity to meet the full demand right away.

Calibrating housing parameters to meet demand

The following summarizes current trends and housing preferences that should be considered when programming and designing housing to best meet demand.

Today's general housing preferences

Household structures have changed significantly since much of St. Joseph County’s housing supply was built. Today, households are smaller, less likely to have one or more children, and more likely to include non-family or multi generational cohabitants. Future development should be designed to reflect the current diversity of household structures and wider range of housing needs and preferences.

🛌 Smaller units

Fewer bedrooms for smaller households.

🅿️ Parking optional

Enabling a car-free or car-lite lifestyle.

🧑🏽 Roommate-ready

Accommodating non-family households.

🌱 Green building

Efficient, low-impact design and systems.

👵🏼 Multigenerational

Space for adult children or elderly parents.

Workforce housing

“Workforce housing” is typically oriented to middle-income households that often consist of singles, couples, or young families. Jobs typically attributed to this group include public safety officers, educators, municipal employees, skilled nurses, and other occupations that often require some level of higher education and pay wages equating to 80-120% AMI.

💰 Moderate cost for families

Workforce families can afford units that cost $1,700 - 2,500 per month.

💵 Lower cost for singles

One-person workforce households cannot afford as much as dual-earner families.

🛏️ Fewer bedrooms

Workforce-oriented housing should include mostly 0-2 bedroom units.

🔨 Well-maintained

Workforce can afford rent/mortgage but large capital costs can be destabilizing.

📍 Near job centers

Households can save money by living close to work and commuting without a car.

Senior housing

Many people 65 and older explore transitions to housing units that allow them to age-in-place, offering accessible design, enabling lower-cost living, and supporting an active, community-oriented lifestyle.

While some seniors are attracted to purpose-built, age-restricted housing developments, others prefer housing in more conventional settings that is designed or retrofit to accommodate aging people.

👨‍👩‍👧 Universal design

Accommodating to people with limited mobility.

🧹 Low maintenance

Less space and less work to keep up.

💲 Energy efficient

Lower utility costs affordable on fixed income.

♿ Accessible

Single-level with ADA-compliant doors, baths, etc.

🤗 Social

Designed and located to promote an active community life.

Downtown living

Recent years have seen growing demand for housing in walkable, downtown or compact neighborhood environments. This can include both dense urban places as well as small town downtowns. Increasingly, the most desirable and competitive housing markets are those with access to the qualities and amenities of a downtown environment within walking distance.

🚶🏼 Walkability

More daily needs and wants accessible on foot.

🚌 Transit

Close to bus lines and train connections.

🏪 Amenities

Near restaurants, shops, and cultural destinations.

🏥 Services

Access to health and community services without a car.

🏘️️ Activity

Located in a lively and vibrant neighborhood.

Homeownership

St. Joseph County has a lower rate of homeownership than the rest of the state but higher than the national average. While it is important to maintain a significant rental housing supply to provide options for people not interested in or ready to buy, a majority of people prefer homeownership for at least certain periods of their lives, such as starting and raising a family.

The St. Joseph County community has expressed interest in stronger pathways to homeownership, especially among middle-income households. Adding more ownership units will contribute to this goal, along with other support such as financial assistance to overcome high down payment and financing costs.

Structure type

Given the variety of housing structure types available, it is important to consider how demand is distributed across the primary categories. The chart at right provides this breakdown by income to illustrate the variation in structure type demand from low-income to high-income households.

In general, lower-income households are more likely looking for multifamily and attached single family options whereas higher-income households are more likely looking for detached single family. Importantly, however, there is significant demand for all structure types at all income levels, suggesting a full range of options are needed across price points.

Denser housing types such as large multifamily developments are most suitable in and near downtowns and near employment centers. Smaller multifamily and attached single-family are suitable in most locations, such as in and around downtowns and as infill development within neighborhoods.

CommunityScale

Results

The following summarizes the plan's recommended housing production target for St. Joseph County. The cost and unit mix is informed by the analysis summarized above as well as an evaluation of local development capacity and available funding sources and subsidies.

10-year housing production target

Production target by tenure, bedroom count and cost.

CommunityScale

The table above and chart at right translate St. Joseph County’s 10-year production target into a unit mix by cost, bedroom count, and tenure (rent/own). The table below converts monthly cost into approximate purchase price and rent after accounting for other housing costs like utilities and taxes.

CommunityScale

CommunityScale