Data Visualizations from 2024 Grand County Housing Survey
Housing Stability
“During the time you've lived in the Moab area, how many times have you moved per year, on average?”
25% of Survey respondents reported moving twice a year or more during the time they’ve lived in Moab, on average.
Among renters, this number jumped to 30%.
“Rent can be raised at any point, even if you pre pay an agreed price because no landlord offers a written lease. There is no one to protect renters rights”
“I have a trailer as a back up plan because I could be kicked out at any moment.”
“We moved 5 times the first year due to unsafe environments, bad landlords, temporary housing, motels, and the inability to find and afford housing.”
“I’m lucky to be in the space I am now but I worry constantly that my landlord will elect to change the situation and find myself homeless or in a dire situation. ”
“Do you have a written lease?”
“Landlords come home and take your space and kick you out on a whim (if there is no lease- which there frequently is not, so technically they can do this).”
“With no lease [a landlord] can boot you at will or raise rent on whims”
“What is the length of your lease?”
“Last housing was pushed out in 15 days because owner put house into nightly rental.”
“My landlord passed away, and the family sold the home to someone from out of town to use as a vacation home and rental”
“There is no lease agreement for anyone in the house. I could have been removed for any reason with no warning. A simple disagreement could have led to my homelessness.”
“Currently in need of finding different housing by fall. Owner wishes to keep my current room as seasonal”
“My landlord decided to turn the unit into a vacation rental because it was more profitable”
“At one point I moved 3 times in a year couch surfing trying to find somewhere to live”
“It took me about 5 years to find a stable place to rent in Moab after I moved here.”
“I’ve lived here 6 years and moved 7 times. I’ve subletted 3 times and then I had a year lease twice where the landlord wanted their house back (half way through the lease, and moved back in).”
Just over 30% of renters reported not having a written lease currently, and 32% of renters reported a month-to-month or seasonal agreement.
When asked whether they have ever felt pushed out of housing in Moab, many renters cited landlords converting housing into nightly or seasonal rentals for tourists, or annual leases being converted to month-to-month because the house they lived in was being sold.
Over the past few years, Moab has experienced considerable tourist-economy related growth and increases in home values and frequency of sales. These trends correlate with increased housing insecurity for renters.
This data suggests the need for policies and programs directed toward increasing housing security for tenants, such as a “good landlord” program, an action step called out in the Affordable Housing Plan to improve housing stability.
Stable housing can significantly improve financial security for individuals, foster a more reliable and productive workforce for employers, and reduce relocation from Moab.
“Pushed out to have a place to rent for tourists during summer.”
“I have been repeatedly pushed out because the property got sold to new management and are kicking all the units out for new contracts”
Risk of Homelessness
“In the past year, have you felt at imminent risk of becoming homeless at any point? This means that you would have become homeless within 30 days without outside help.”
Almost a third of survey respondents were at risk of homelessness in the past year.
The imminent threat of homelessness can have devastating effects on individuals, communities, and the workforce, leading to increased stress, health issues, and reduced productivity while straining local resources and potentially causing a ripple effect of economic instability and quality of life for individuals and households.
“I was homeless for about two months before securing the housing that I’m currently in. If I had any unexpected expenses like medical bills or car repair, I simply would not be able to continue affording rent.”
“Have never been homeless in my life and fortunately I had friends and family in town who helped me for the month I had no address. Never thought I would have found myself in that situation at the age of 65.”
“If we were kicked out or lost this house in a fire, we would be homeless as we cannot afford a house here.”
“Due to monthly medical bills increasing, I greatly fear being unable to pay rent and becoming homeless/living in my car because of this. I feel unsafe where I’m at because of the other residents.”
“The house I’m renting from cannot rent to me much longer due to their mortgage on the home. My family and I cannot afford any other rentals here in Moab therefore are at risk of being homeless.”
“ I know of a family with two kids who would absolutely be homeless if their landlord raised the rent on their trailer”
Affordability
Monthly Rent by Area Median Income (AMI) Bracket
Area Median Income (AMI) is the midpoint of a region's income distribution. It is calculated annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for every county in the United States. HUD defines income brackets as percentages of AMI, with low-income households earning less than 80% of AMI, very low-income households earning less than 50% of AMI, and extremely low-income households earning less than 30% of AMI.
AMI for a 4-person household in Grand County is $80,000, as of 2024.
Although AMI is commonly reported for households of 4, this survey used individual income as a baseline, accounting for the shifting demographic of household size and also the fact that individuals, rather than households, were taking the survey. Since census data tends to under-represent the realities of households composed of multiple self-sufficient adults, we decided to structure this analysis to better account for these scenarios. Therefore, the reported rents should be imagined as enough to support the individual.
In future iterations of the survey, we hope to ask more specific questions about household size and dependents in order to more accurately represent a wider range of household typologies.
Housing Burden by Area Median Income (AMI) Bracket
Rent burden, as defined by HUD, is when a person spends more than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs. The rent burden of survey respondents was calculated by adding their reported rent and other housing costs (water, electric, gas, sewer, trash, and internet), then evaluating this as a percentage of monthly after tax income.
A household is considered rent-burdened if this value is greater than 30%.
According to the data collected, the average person in Grand County needs to make 150% AMI, or $120,000 per year, in order to NOT be rent burdened.
This data is important for housing providers to understand which income brackets are in need of affordable housing, and which income brackets should be targeted by new affordable housing stock. This data shows a need for income-targeted income housing to exist all the way up to 150% AMI, requiring multiple tiers of affordable housing with a strong focus on the lowest AMI brackets and affordable rentals.
Testimonials speak to the fact that many locals feel they are falling between the cracks of existing housing efforts. Income limits and qualifications for subsidized home loans still exclude many who are struggling on the housing market, pointing to a need for a more diverse set of housing access programs based on better data about the means and characteristics of Moab’s households.
“I am going to lose my house because I have a fixed income and every time you add more taxes, it raises my house payment - which is now over half of my fixed income. ”
“They raised the rent by 20% overnight . We have nowhere cheaper to go and there are no raises in pay to be had.”
“The house where I live was recently sold. I used to pay $1400/month for all 3 bedrooms and provided housing for my teens. After it sold (and one of my kids moved out), the new mortgage price became my new rent price ($2600+utilities) so I had to start subletting one of the bedrooms.
Now that both teens have moved out I sublet both of the other bedrooms. There is no way I could afford to stay without roommates. ”
“My children have had to move out of town because of the high cost of living & low paying jobs ”
“I’ve been here 9.5 years now and constantly have to live paycheck to paycheck.”
“Had a landlord come and raise rents by almost double expecting that I would just accept it. I moved out out of principal, but have been unable to find anything since.”
“Moab is very expensive on housing— even to rent, let alone RV space is so outrageous! How is Moab going to change this for people that don’t qualify for low income or afford a house? I feel like I’m stuck in the middle. ”
“I know of a family with two kids who would absolutely be homeless if their landlord raised the rent on their trailer, and the sad thing is they don’t qualify for the USDA home loan because they “make too much money,” even though they have nothing left over after providing for only two kiddos.”
“I live in Grand Oasis. I do not have and can’t afford house Insurance. My trailer is condemnable without house insurance.”
Won’t the market just take care of it?
In a perfect world, Moab area renters at 100% AMI should play a strong role in determining demand and average pricing for rental units. Unfortunately, the rental market in Moab is influenced more heavily by external factors beyond local incomes. Remote workers, second homeowners, and overnight rentals all influence the market as well, and many of those who are willing to rent or buy these units have non-local incomes and can afford to pay significantly more than the average local, driving prices up. It’s important to note that market value (based in part of potential sale and rent price) influences mortgage rates, which also influence the rent a landlord must charge. Therefore, both potential sale and rental prices influence the housing market. Deed-restricting housing for local workers creates a second market which can then function based on supply and demand without excluding the local workforce.
“My partner and I have two incomes and no kids, but we had to buy a 4 bedroom house so that we could have roommates. A 2 bedroom house in Moab costs about the same as a 4 bedroom, so we couldn’t afford a 2bdrm house because we wouldn’t have any extra bedrooms for roommates. Our Moab-based income doesn’t cover our mortgage. We will likely have roommates for decades”
“Most wages barely pay 20$/hr and wages with tips are only really lucrative mar-mid-may, oct-nov, besides that you are just barely scraping by, and along with food and gas costs its quite impossible to live in this town unless you want to squeeze into a house with 3+ people.”
Quality of Life
Ensuring the habitability of housing units is maintained properly and equipped with essential amenities directly contributes to improved health outcomes, reduces the frequency of disruptive moves, and fosters a happier, more stable community.
Overall, the lowest scoring category for all survey takers was “sufficient space and privacy,” with 20% of respondents reporting not enough personal space. Housing additional roommates or family members into a space meant for fewer people is a common strategy when rent or mortgage prices are too high.
A close second was “cool enough in summer,” with 18% of respondents classifying their living situation as too hot. Programs addressing cooling efficiency, insulation, and passive shade infrastructure can help address heat-related habitability issues.
Vehicle dwellers experienced significantly reduced habitability scores compared to other survey takers. 90% of vehicle dwellers noted that they would prefer not to live in a vehicle, if housing were accessible and affordable. Living in a vehicle is often a last resort for residents who cannot secure housing. Working to ensure the availability and security of affordable housing will aid in addressing these issues. Other programs such as the County’s ADO (alternative dwelling overlay) can help to ensure legal and stable places to live in vehicles with available services.
“Too many adults and animals in the house, no lease and no control over permanency. Lack of landlord responsibility for repairs, unexpected costs associated with sharing a house, unbearably hot in summer.”
“ Housing costs in Moab led my husband and I to purchase our home in order to reduce the monthly cost. Even paying what we do now, we have 8 people living in a 3 bedroom mobile home that is falling apart. We are unable to afford anything bigger or better quality because the cost of housing is incredibly high, so we sacrifice space to be able to actually afford to live here.”
“First house had 6-10 residents at any given time, left due to issues with cleanliness, roaches, mold, structural issues with the house itself, and general chaos.”
“ I really just want to live by myself but single, 1 bed apts that are “affordable” come with many caveats—loud neighbors, barely any amenities, dilapidated trailers, etc...I do not have laundry, do not have control of temperature (which gets to 82 deg. 4pm-10pm on 80+ days, upstairs unit), and the walls are super thin.”