Professional Builder
Changes in birth rate and home values were previously found to have a positive correlation. New findings suggest the opposite.
Communities with higher home values historically tend to have lower birth rates, but Zillow’slatest cross-sectional data post-recession shows that counties that already had low birth rates eight years ago experience greater losses, and there was a negative correlation between the change in birth rate and the degree of change in home value growth. The research suggests a relationship between falling homeownership and birth rates for young Americans and rising home values, and depicts current headwinds facing young adults who seek to have their own families.