For renters in Worcester County, the outlook is grim: vacancies are nearly nonexistent, rents have soared beyond what most can afford, and home ownership is “increasingly out of reach.”
That’s according to a new 127-page study by the Colorado-based firm Matrix Design Group, which says Worcester County’s housing market is in a full-blown affordability crisis. The report, released Sept. 22, surveyed 673 residents between February and June.
It paints a stark picture of the housing market where prices are “far outpacing” incomes, leaving many households one emergency away from financial instability. “Younger residents appear to be navigating a fragile housing path, where one unexpected expense or rent increase could tip the balance,” the report says.
By conventional standards, housing costs should not exceed 30% of household income. With the average county renter earning $46,000 a year, it sets a monthly affordability threshold of $1,149.
But the study found that the average rent in Worcester County jumped 13.3% in a single year – from $1,966 in May 2024 to $2,228 in May 2025 – requiring a household income of $100,000.
Family-sized rentals are even less attainable. The average three-bedroom unit plus utilities rents for more than $3,000 per month, requiring a household income of more than $125,000.
More than half (53%) of renters are said to be “cost burdened” – spending a third or more of income on rent. One in four are “severely” burdened, spending at least half. Another 41% of respondents reported having to cut back on food, medicine, or basic goods to afford housing.
When asked to name their top concerns, those surveyed cited unaffordable rents and the inability for a young person to afford a home as their two biggest concerns, with the cost of utility services falling closely behind.
Vacancies have all but vanished, the report also says.
It’s true. They are driving out the workers from the resort area. We recently had to find new housing in OC and while we enjoyed a two bed two bath before, that was out of the question this time. What we were able to find was a one bed and it was double what we had paid before. If OC doesn’t fix its housing crisis in town for workers, they will lose those who they rely on to make the tourist come to town. Oh, and don’t try to tell me about the apartments in Berlin, you will spend your lifetime in traffic trying to get to OC to work, and if you don’t own a car there isn’t adequate transportation.
I keep hearing there’s not enough housing across the country…but our birth rates are at all time lows.
Something doesn’t add up…
Slum lord greed and immigration 1:11