Location Affordability Index
Housing and transportation costs consume about half of the average household budget, but it can be difficult for people to fully factor transportation costs into decisions about where to live and work. The Location Affordability Index (LAI) works to close this gap by providing estimates of household housing and transportation costs at the neighborhood level along with constituent data on the built environment and demographics. This site provides access to that data as well as comprehensive documentation of how the Location Affordability Index has been developed and updated.
Access the Data
The current and version of the LAI can be accessed either as downloads or data services through HUD’s eGIS Storefront:
Version 3.0 (March 2019) – uses 2012-2016 American Community Survey data
Version 2.0 (October 2014) – uses 2008-2012 American Community Survey data
Development
The Development page gives significant additional detail on previous research, the development of the LAI, and important caveats for understanding and interpreting the data.
Documentation
The Documentation page archives all documentation about the LAI including research conducted as part of the development of the Index and modeling code for researchers looking to replicate the LAI or create modified versions using different data inputs.
