10 min read

Support Growing for Middle Housing

A new Zillow survey covering 26 metro areas found that residents largely support allowing middle housing in residential neighborhoods. Middle housing options are those that fall into categories between single-family lots and large multifamily buildings, such as duplexes or small apartment buildings. A clear majority of homeowners surveyed (78%) voiced support for at least one of these middle housing options, and support was higher among renters (91%).

Despite a pandemic construction boom, in 2022, there were roughly 8.09 million “missing households”: individuals or families living with nonrelatives. Compare that to 3.55 million housing units that were available for rent or for sale, and there is a housing shortage of more than 4.5 million.

There is no quick fix for the housing shortage, but Zillow research has shown that modest densification measures — such as allowing two units on 10% of single-family lots across some of the largest U.S. metros — could help boost critically needed housing supply enough to slow housing price growth in a meaningful way. This latest survey shows a growing support among homeowners and renters for adding housing to their neighborhoods.

Accessory dwelling units enjoy broadest support

Of the types of homes we asked about, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) generally garnered the highest level of support. Among adults in the metros we surveyed, 68% said they would support allowing ADUs in their neighborhood, with higher percentages among renters (71%) and younger adults (71% among ages 18–29, 75% in their 30s and 71% in their 40s).

Duplexes, triplexes and small condo/apartment buildings (of fewer than 10 units) generally enjoyed majority support: 59% of those surveyed said they would support allowing duplexes and triplexes in their neighborhood, and 57% said the same about small condo or apartment buildings of fewer than 10 units. Medium buildings (between 10 and 49 units) saw a closer divide, with about half (50%) indicating support, 44% saying they were opposed, and 6% saying they were unsure.

Support growing for middle housing

Among renters, support for allowing more types of homes has stayed consistently high: Starting in 2022, about 77% of renters reported their support for allowing ADUs, duplexes and/or triplexes in residential neighborhoods. When surveyed again in 2023, 82% reported the same support. In the same year, 89% of renters said they would support allowing at least one type of multifamily housing (ADU, duplex, apartment, and/or condo) in their neighborhood. In 2024, 91% of renters said the same.

Among homeowners, we’ve seen such support grow since at least 2019, when we began surveying them. In 2019, just over half (57%) agreed at least somewhat that homeowners should be allowed to convert their homes to add housing units. That support grew to 64% in 2022, 68% in 2023 and 73% in 2024.

Most respondents report experiencing housing discrimination

Most of those surveyed reported that they had been treated differently in their search for housing for at least one of the protected identities that we asked about. About 4 in 5 LGBTQ+ adults (79%) reported experiencing this kind of housing discrimination. Renters reported experiencing discrimination (61%) at a higher rate than homeowners (53%). And younger generations, whose members are more likely to move and typically move more often, also reported experiencing discrimination at higher rates (72% of Gen Zers and 65% of millennials, higher than 55% of Gen Xers, and 38% of baby boomers and older).

Half consider housing affordability a highly important election issue

Across the 26 metros surveyed, about half of respondents (52%) said that housing affordability was very or extremely important when deciding who to vote for in this year’s federal elections. For renters, a clearer majority (59%) expressed the same importance, versus 49% of homeowners.

Younger generations, especially millennials, were more likely to place high importance on housing affordability as an election issue (59% of Gen Zers and 62% of millennials, versus 51% of Gen Xers, and 38% of baby boomers and older).

Strong support for source-of-income protections

About 73% of adults across the 26 metros we surveyed said that they agree somewhat or completely that “Landlords in my state should be required to accept rent payments from tenants that rely on government assistance, like social security or housing vouchers.” Agreement was higher among renters (78%) than homeowners (70%).

Share of adults who say they would support allowing each home type in their neighborhood OR who say that at least one multifamily condition (affordability, proximity to transit/recreation) would make them more supportive

	ADUs	Du/triplex	Small condo/ apartment (fewer than 10 units)	Medium condo/ apartment (10–49 units)	Large condo/ apartment (50+ units)	Any /at least one
Total	87%	83%	83%	82%	81%	87%
Atlanta	85%	76%	78%	75%	75%	87%
Boston	90%	84%	83%	79%	78%	93%
Chicago	89%	86%	85%	83%	84%	91%
Columbus	84%	79%	80%	79%	77%	87%
Dallas	86%	79%	80%	80%	79%	88%
Denver	91%	88%	85%	83%	83%	91%
Detroit	87%	82%	85%	82%	81%	90%
Houston	82%	79%	79%	79%	78%	84%
Las Vegas	90%	84%	84%	83%	83%	91%
Los Angeles	87%	84%	83%	83%	82%	89%
Miami	89%	86%	86%	83%	82%	92%
Minneapolis	83%	81%	81%	79%	78%	87%
Nashville	84%	77%	75%	74%	74%	86%
New York	85%	84%	82%	82%	81%	90%
Long Island	81%	80%	81%	79%	78%	84%
Philadelphia	87%	83%	82%	81%	80%	89%
Phoenix	86%	84%	85%	84%	84%	89%
Raleigh	87%	84%	82%	82%	81%	89%
Riverside	90%	89%	88%	90%	88%	95%
Sacramento	87%	82%	79%	78%	77%	89%
San Diego	89%	87%	85%	88%	83%	93%
San Francisco	88%	84%	84%	83%	82%	90%
San Jose	94%	82%	83%	80%	83%	95%
Seattle	88%	88%	86%	86%	83%	92%
St. Louis	84%	80%	79%	78%	78%	87%
Tampa	86%	78%	79%	76%	78%	88%
Washington, D.C.	91%	87%	87%	86%	86%	92%

	ADUs	Du/triplex	Small condo/ apartment (fewer than 10 units)	Medium condo/ apartment (10–49 units)	Large condo/ apartment (50+ units)	Any /at least one
Total	87%	83%	83%	82%	81%	89%
Homeowner	83%	79%	78%	77%	76%	87%
Renter	93%	92%	92%	91%	90%	95%
Gen Z (ages 18–29)	92%	92%	92%	91%	90%	96%
Millennial (ages 30–44)	92%	90%	89%	88%	88%	93%
Generation X (ages 45–59)	85%	82%	81%	80%	80%	88%
Boomers & Silent Gen (ages 60+)	78%	71%	72%	70%	69%	82%
Ages 18–29	92%	92%	92%	91%	90%	96%
Ages 30–39	92%	91%	89%	89%	89%	94%
Ages 40–49	88%	85%	84%	84%	83%	90%
Ages 50–59	85%	82%	81%	80%	79%	88%
Ages 60+	78%	71%	72%	70%	69%	82%
White	84%	78%	78%	78%	76%	87%
Black	90%	90%	87%	87%	86%	93%
Latinx	91%	88%	88%	87%	86%	93%
AAPI	84%	82%	82%	81%	81%	89%
Other race	92%	89%	89%	88%	88%	92%
Non-white	89%	88%	87%	86%	85%	92%
Cisgender Heterosexual	86%	83%	82%	81%	80%	89%
LGBTQ+	91%	89%	89%	88%	88%	93%
Experienced housing discrimination for at least 1 protected identity	89%	87%	86%	86%	85%	91%
Never experienced housing discrimination for protected identity	84%	78%	79%	77%	76%	87%
<$50K household income	91%	89%	88%	87%	86%	92%
$50K–<$100K household income	86%	83%	83%	81%	81%	89%
$100K+ household Income	85%	81%	80%	80%	79%	88%
Not registered to vote	90%	86%	87%	84%	85%	91%
Registered to vote at current address	86%	82%	81%	80%	79%	89%
Registered to vote before, but has not updated registration since moving	89%	90%	90%	88%	88%	92%

Share of adults who say they would support allowing each type of home in their neighborhood (without conditions)

	ADUs	Du/triplex	Small condo/ apartment (fewer than 10 units)	Medium condo/ apartment (10–49 units)	Large condo/ apartment (50+ units)	Any /at least one
Total	68%	59%	57%	50%	42%	82%
Atlanta	70%	43%	45%	37%	36%	81%
Boston	68%	61%	56%	43%	35%	86%
Chicago	69%	63%	60%	46%	41%	86%
Columbus	62%	57%	51%	46%	38%	81%
Dallas	71%	57%	52%	51%	42%	83%
Denver	76%	62%	55%	50%	44%	86%
Detroit	68%	57%	62%	52%	45%	85%
Houston	64%	52%	51%	43%	38%	78%
Las Vegas	70%	57%	60%	50%	45%	86%
Los Angeles	71%	65%	56%	49%	43%	86%
Miami	64%	56%	56%	48%	43%	86%
Minneapolis	64%	57%	51%	39%	37%	80%
Nashville	70%	51%	52%	40%	34%	81%
New York	65%	60%	62%	57%	46%	85%
Long Island	62%	54%	55%	48%	37%	78%
Philadelphia	70%	58%	55%	47%	39%	84%
Phoenix	65%	59%	56%	50%	40%	83%
Raleigh	68%	54%	50%	42%	34%	83%
Riverside	69%	60%	55%	50%	39%	88%
Sacramento	73%	62%	52%	52%	42%	84%
San Diego	76%	62%	60%	54%	45%	88%
San Francisco	71%	63%	58%	55%	43%	84%
San Jose	76%	62%	53%	45%	41%	91%
Seattle	71%	70%	64%	60%	44%	91%
St. Louis	65%	55%	51%	41%	33%	80%
Tampa	65%	51%	49%	43%	38%	81%
Washington, D.C.	67%	57%	63%	57%	50%	86%

	ADUs	Du/triplex	Small condo/ apartment (fewer than 10 units)	Medium condo/ apartment (10-49 units)	Large condo/ apartment (50+ units)	Any / At least one
Total	68%	59%	57%	50%	42%	85%
Homeowner	66%	54%	52%	43%	37%	81%
Renter	71%	69%	66%	62%	51%	91%
Gen Z (ages 18–29)	71%	66%	62%	61%	54%	93%
Millennial (ages 30–44)	75%	69%	64%	61%	55%	89%
Generation X (ages 45–59)	68%	59%	56%	46%	38%	83%
Boomers & Silent Gen (ages 60+)	59%	44%	47%	32%	24%	74%
Ages 18–29	71%	66%	62%	61%	54%	93%
Ages 30–39	75%	69%	64%	61%	56%	91%
Ages 40–49	71%	65%	60%	54%	46%	85%
Ages 50–59	67%	58%	54%	45%	36%	83%
Ages 60+	59%	44%	47%	32%	24%	74%
White	67%	55%	54%	47%	38%	81%
Black	71%	69%	63%	58%	48%	89%
Latinx	69%	61%	58%	51%	46%	89%
AAPI	64%	58%	57%	44%	39%	85%
Other race	75%	66%	65%	55%	49%	88%
Non-white	69%	63%	59%	52%	45%	88%
Cisgender Heterosexual	68%	59%	56%	48%	41%	84%
LGBTQ+	72%	64%	62%	61%	54%	90%
Experienced housing discrimination for at least 1 protected identity	69%	65%	60%	55%	48%	88%
Never experienced housing discrimination for protected identity	66%	51%	53%	42%	34%	81%
<$50K household income	65%	62%	59%	54%	42%	88%
$50K–<$100K household income	68%	56%	55%	46%	38%	84%
$100K+ household income	72%	71%	66%	66%	60%	84%
Not registered to vote	68%	63%	60%	56%	47%	86%
Registered to vote at current address	69%	59%	56%	47%	38%	83%
Registered to vote before, but has not updated registration since moving	68%	58%	55%	48%	42%	90%

Share of adults who say allowing for more multifamily housing options in single-family neighborhoods would have a positive effect on:

	Parking and traffic	Availability of more affordable housing options	Neighborhood amenities (e.g., parks, restaurants, community centers)	Enabling homeowners to care for aging family members
Total	47%	70%	70%	75%
Atlanta	43%	65%	60%	70%
Boston	39%	71%	71%	80%
Chicago	49%	67%	70%	75%
Columbus	38%	69%	65%	76%
Dallas	47%	74%	70%	73%
Denver	40%	70%	68%	79%
Detroit	48%	68%	75%	75%
Houston	47%	68%	72%	76%
Las Vegas	44%	73%	71%	75%
Los Angeles	49%	66%	70%	75%
Miami	50%	67%	73%	67%
Minneapolis	37%	64%	63%	70%
Nashville	41%	67%	67%	76%
New York	53%	75%	74%	75%
Long Island	42%	68%	62%	70%
Philadelphia	40%	69%	67%	75%
Phoenix	48%	73%	67%	77%
Raleigh	41%	69%	69%	72%
Riverside	49%	75%	73%	72%
Sacramento	41%	70%	69%	78%
San Diego	41%	75%	75%	81%
San Francisco	37%	70%	68%	79%
San Jose	43%	73%	72%	81%
Seattle	42%	75%	73%	77%
St. Louis	44%	71%	70%	72%
Tampa	40%	65%	60%	70%
Washington, D.C.	48%	71%	74%	79%

	Parking and traffic	Availability of more affordable housing options	Neighborhood amenities (e.g., parks, restaurants, community centers)	Enabling homeowners to care for aging family members
Total	47%	70%	70%	75%
Homeowner	44%	67%	66%	75%
Renter	52%	75%	78%	76%
Gen Z (ages 18–29)	59%	76%	77%	73%
Millennial (ages 30–44)	61%	77%	77%	80%
Generation X (ages 45–59)	45%	68%	70%	74%
Boomers & Silent Gen (ages 60+)	25%	60%	59%	72%
18–29	59%	76%	77%	73%
30–39	62%	77%	78%	79%
40–49	51%	72%	73%	77%
50–59	45%	69%	68%	74%
60+	25%	60%	59%	72%
White	43%	68%	68%	76%
Black	54%	79%	79%	73%
Latinx	53%	70%	72%	74%
AAPI	41%	67%	65%	73%
Other	45%	64%	76%	78%
Non-white	50%	71%	73%	74%
Cisgender heterosexual	46%	70%	70%	75%
LGBTQ+	58%	71%	72%	73%
Experienced housing discrimination for at least 1 protected identity	54%	72%	74%	74%
Never experienced housing discrimination for protected identity	38%	67%	66%	76%
I am not registered to vote	48%	72%	69%	72%
I am registered to vote at my current address	43%	68%	68%	74%
I have registered to vote before, but have not updated my registration since I last moved	68%	80%	82%	81%
<$50K (net income)	52%	74%	76%	73%
$50K–<$100K	42%	67%	68%	72%
$100K+ (net income)	47%	69%	69%	78%

Consider housing affordability very/extremely important when deciding whom to vote for in this year’s federal elections
Total	52%
Homeowner	49%
Renter	59%
Gen Z (ages 18–29)	59%
Millennial (ages 30–44)	62%
Generation X (ages 45–59)	51%
Boomers & Silent Gen (ages 60+)	38%
Ages 18–29	59%
Ages 30–39	62%
Ages 40–49	60%
Ages 50–59	47%
Ages 60+	38%
White	47%
Black	63%
Latinx	59%
AAPI	45%
Other race	58%
Non-white	57%
Cisgender heterosexual	51%
LGBTQ+	61%
<$50K household income	44%
$50K–<$100K household income	50%
$100K+ household income	70%
Not registered to vote	58%
Registered to vote at current address	51%
Registered to vote before, but has not updated registration since moving	50%

Consider housing affordability very/extremely important when deciding whom to vote for in this year’s federal elections
Atlanta	53%
Boston	51%
Chicago	52%
Columbus	43%
Dallas	48%
Denver	51%
Detroit	54%
Houston	50%
Las Vegas	56%
Los Angeles	58%
Miami	52%
Minneapolis	40%
Nashville	45%
New York	52%
Long Island	44%
Philadelphia	49%
Phoenix	59%
Raleigh	43%
Riverside	53%
Sacramento	53%
San Diego	52%
San Francisco	48%
San Jose	52%
Seattle	64%
St. Louis	42%
Tampa	49%
Washington, D.C.	55%

Agree somewhat/completely with each statement

	Homeowners should be allowed to convert their homes to add housing units (e.g., single-family to duplex, adding a mother- in-law unit, etc.)	I’m very worried about traffic and parking in my neighborhood	I would be willing to invest money to make my property a multifamily lot if it were allowed	Having more affordable housing in my community is more important than free parking for myself	Landlords in my state should be required to accept rent payments from tenants that rely on government assistance, like Social Security or housing vouchers
Total	73%	52%	53%	65%	73%
Homeowner	72%	53%	51%	60%	70%
Renter	75%	52%	57%	75%	78%
Gen Z (ages 18–29)	74%	55%	65%	72%	70%
Millennial (ages 30–44)	79%	60%	68%	73%	77%
Generation X (ages 45–59)	74%	52%	54%	64%	75%
Boomers & Silent Gen (ages 60+)	65%	43%	29%	52%	69%
Ages 18–29	74%	55%	65%	72%	70%
Ages 30–39	78%	60%	68%	72%	76%
Ages 40–49	80%	55%	62%	69%	77%
Ages 50–59	71%	52%	51%	64%	74%
Ages 60+	65%	43%	29%	52%	69%
White	71%	50%	48%	62%	73%
Black	74%	54%	63%	75%	80%
Latinx	74%	57%	60%	67%	73%
AAPI	74%	54%	52%	59%	62%
Other race	79%	47%	45%	71%	77%
Non-white	74%	55%	58%	68%	73%
Cisgender Heterosexual	72%	52%	52%	65%	72%
LGBTQ+	79%	55%	63%	69%	76%
Experienced housing discrimination for at least 1 protected identity	76%	58%	62%	69%	75%
Never experienced housing discrimination for protected identity	69%	45%	42%	60%	70%
<$50K household income	67%	49%	58%	69%	69%
$50K–<$100K household income	72%	50%	49%	62%	72%
$100K+ household income	81%	67%	73%	78%	79%
Not registered to vote	72%	51%	54%	73%	79%
Registered to vote at current address	71%	50%	49%	64%	73%
Registered to vote before, but has not updated registration since moving	74%	54%	55%	62%	70%

	Homeowners should be allowed to convert their homes to add housing units (e.g., single-family to duplex, adding a mother- in-law unit, etc.)	I’m very worried about traffic and parking in my neighborhood	I would be willing to invest money to make my property a multifamily lot if it were allowed	Having more affordable housing in my community is more important than free parking for myself	Landlords in my state should be required to accept rent payments from tenants that rely on government assistance, like Social Security or housing vouchers
Total	73%	52%	53%	65%	73%
Atlanta	71%	42%	46%	61%	68%
Boston	77%	48%	49%	64%	69%
Chicago	75%	43%	56%	64%	73%
Columbus	69%	33%	41%	66%	70%
Dallas	72%	51%	51%	64%	65%
Denver	75%	51%	50%	72%	77%
Detroit	71%	46%	47%	67%	73%
Houston	68%	50%	50%	63%	67%
Las Vegas	71%	43%	58%	71%	72%
Los Angeles	78%	63%	59%	63%	72%
Miami	71%	56%	51%	66%	73%
Minneapolis	71%	36%	38%	61%	65%
Nashville	73%	48%	39%	63%	73%
New York	71%	58%	58%	67%	79%
Long Island	75%	54%	53%	62%	69%
Philadelphia	71%	46%	43%	60%	72%
Phoenix	69%	53%	52%	69%	74%
Raleigh	73%	41%	45%	65%	71%
Riverside	74%	48%	54%	69%	76%
Sacramento	76%	47%	49%	64%	69%
San Diego	71%	64%	51%	70%	74%
San Francisco	75%	54%	57%	62%	68%
San Jose	72%	47%	54%	67%	68%
Seattle	76%	59%	62%	72%	81%
St. Louis	67%	40%	43%	66%	73%
Tampa	72%	45%	47%	62%	70%
Washington, D.C.	73%	54%	52%	67%	72%

Homeowners should be allowed to convert their homes to add housing units (e.g., single-family to duplex, adding a mother-in-law unit, etc.)	2019	2022	2023	2024
Total – among homeowners only	57%	64%	68%	73%
Atlanta	54%	57%	61%	70%
Boston	63%	72%	69%	81%
Chicago	52%	68%	67%	73%
Dallas	51%	63%	66%	73%
Denver	54%	57%	70%	79%
Detroit	47%	56%	62%	68%
Las Vegas	52%	56%	61%	68%
Los Angeles	57%	70%	75%	79%
Miami	63%	57%	65%	66%
Minneapolis	57%	55%	68%	71%
New York	55%	66%	70%	70%
Philadelphia	58%	68%	68%	70%
Phoenix	50%	60%	64%	68%
St. Louis	53%	60%	63%	62%
San Diego	70%	62%	74%	75%
San Francisco	64%	64%	75%	75%
San Jose	60%	66%	82%	76%
Seattle	67%	69%	73%	78%
Tampa	58%	65%	67%	68%
Washington, D.C.	59%	59%	73%	70%

Agree somewhat/ completely	Total	Gen Z (ages 18–29)	Millennial (ages 30–44)	Generation X (ages 45–59)	Boomers & Silent Gen (ages 60+)
Owning a home is necessary to live the American Dream	70%	77%	75%	70%	61%
Owning a home is critical to building and passing on generational wealth	78%	76%	81%	79%	73%

Agree somewhat/ completely	Total	18–29	30–39	40–49	50–59	60+
Owning a home is necessary to live the American Dream	70%	77%	76%	71%	71%	61%
Owning a home is critical to building and passing on generational wealth	78%	76%	82%	80%	79%	73%

Methodology

In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of adults ages 18 and older, Zillow Group Population Science conducted a representative survey of more than 12,000 adults across 26 metros: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York (with additional sampling to produce estimates for Long Island), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Raleigh, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. The survey was fielded in March and April 2024.

Sampling & weighting

Results from this survey are representative of adults in each metropolitan area. To achieve representativeness, ZG Population Science used a two-pronged approach. First, the initial recruitment to the sample was balanced to all adults from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) on the basis of age, relationship status, income, ethnicity/race, education and sex. Additional targeted subgroups were sampled based on all key household demographic characteristics. Second, statistical raking was used to create calibration weights to ensure that the distribution of survey respondents matched each metro’s population with respect to a number of key demographic characteristics.

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