Zillow Research offers a data-driven look at the economy through the lens of the housing market. We publish dozens of proprietary metrics tied to real estate economics — including data on home values, rental values, affordability, inventory and more. Our articles and presentations inform reporters, academic and government researchers, and policymakers.

Some highlights:

• Communities where people spend more than 32 percent of their income on rent can expect a more rapid increase in homelessness, according to new Zillow-sponsored research on the size and root causes of the nation’s homelessness challenge. The research also estimates that the scale of homelessness nationwide has been undercounted by roughly 115,000 people, or 20 percent. 
• By 2050, more than 386,000 existing homes in U.S. coastal areas are likely to be at risk of permanent inundation. By 2100, the estimate is 2.5 million homes. Moderate emissions cuts, roughly in line with the Paris agreement on climate, could reduce the number to a little more than 348,000 homes by 2050 and 1.3 million homes by 2100.
• Home values in the vast majority of neighborhoods that were “redlined” as hazardous for mortgage lending by the federal government 80 years ago are lower now than in areas rated more highly. Check your area.
• The gap in the homeownership rate between black and white households is 30.3 percentage points — up from 27.6 percentage points in 1900 and the widest gap among whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians – although the difference between white and Hispanic homeownership rates has more than tripled. Asians have seen the largest gains, although their homeownership rate still lags whites. Read about African Americans and the Homeownership Divide, Hispanics and the Homeownership Divide and Asians and the Homeownership Divide. 
• For many people, the decisions to move and to grow their families are intertwined – and having a newborn tends to mean choosing an area where home values are lower.
• Young, highly-educated millennials earn more than typical American workers, make up a growing share of the population in some of the nation’s fastest-growing and most-dynamic cities, and are disproportionately likely to work in well-paid tech jobs. And still, they’re struggling to become homeowners. Why?

Zillow Research Mission Statement

Zillow Research aims to be the most open, authoritative source for timely and accurate housing data and unbiased insight. Our goal is to empower consumers, industry professionals, policymakers and researchers to better understand the housing market.

Our Research Principles:

1. Zillow Research provides unbiased data and analysis about the housing market in a transparent way. Whenever possible, the team makes code and underlying data available so work can be replicated independently. Methodology is always clearly explained.
2. Zillow Research is independent of Zillow’s business goals and is not a revenue center.
3. Zillow Research is open about how data sources and data quality impact research, and is transparent about potential issues with data used.
4. Zillow Research benchmarks findings against outside datasets whenever possible to ensure accuracy and appropriate context.
5. Zillow Research respects the integrity of data and uses it honestly, and never manipulates data to create a desired result. We are data- and fact-driven.