April 17, 2019
Rising rents in coastal California outpace teacher pay
Many, especially first-year teachers, are spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent, exceeding the federal cutoff for affordable housing.
Special Reports
Special Report
California's Teacher Housing Crunch
Many teachers at the bottom of the pay scale are getting shut out of housing they can afford. Even teachers earning average or the highest salaries face struggles paying the rent, especially in the high-cost coastal and metro areas. An EdSource analysis of teacher salaries and rents reveals just how crushing California’s housing crisis has become for many teachers. They are coping by sharing homes with others, making do with less space, and, as occurred this year in Los Angeles and Oakland, by striking for high salaries. But, as some teachers have found, even a hefty raise won’t help them find housing they can afford.