The Indicator from Planet Money

Can empty-nesters boost housing affordability?


Listen Later

The "silver tsunami" of aging Americans is often seen as a potential way to alleviate the country's housing affordability woes. However, the data suggests that an influx of empty-nester homes coming on the market won't have much of an impact on the problem—because of a geographical mismatch.

Today on the show, we speak to an economist who's looked into the silver tsunami's impact on the housing market and thinks this theory might be more of a red herring.

This episode was fact checked by Sierra Juarez

Related episodes:
The graying of America
What would it take to fix retirement?
How big is the US housing shortage?
The highs and lows of US rents

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by
Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Indicator from Planet MoneyBy NPR

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

9,096 ratings


More shows like The Indicator from Planet Money

View all
Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,821 Listeners

Marketplace by Marketplace

Marketplace

8,582 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,844 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

31,952 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,308 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,778 Listeners

Make Me Smart by Marketplace

Make Me Smart

5,499 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,266 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,061 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

15,944 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,233 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

5,969 Listeners

People I (Mostly) Admire by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

People I (Mostly) Admire

2,126 Listeners

Planet Money Summer School by NPR

Planet Money Summer School

171 Listeners

The Economics of Everyday Things by Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett

The Economics of Everyday Things

1,582 Listeners

Planet Money: We Bought a Toxic Asset by NPR

Planet Money: We Bought a Toxic Asset

0 Listeners

Planet Money: We Set Up a Shell Company by NPR

Planet Money: We Set Up a Shell Company

3 Listeners

Planet Money: We Invested in Gold by NPR

Planet Money: We Invested in Gold

0 Listeners