The “first of the month” — Nov. 1. Like clockwork, I opened the Wells Fargo app and winced as my balance dropped. I’ve been working full-time for four months, but the sting of paying rent hasn’t eased. I have a college degree and a steady job. Yet, after groceries, gas, savings, and rent there’s not much to show for it. I’m grateful to have a well-paying job out of college, but I can’t help noticing how much housing costs strain my budget or make homeownership out of reach.
Young people across North Carolina and the country share my story. According to Harvard’s 2025 youth poll, more than four in 10 young Americans under 30 say they’re “barely getting by” financially, while just 16% report doing well or very well. Housing costs are a major driver of this crisis. Nationally, homes now cost about five times the median income, up from three in the 1990s. In North Carolina, the share of rentals over $2,000 a month has more than tripled since 2012, and the homeownership rate has fallen from 72% in 2000 to 65% in 2024.
Accelerating housing prices show no signs of slowing. Our state and local communities must act to ensure young people can afford to live and achieve their homeownership goals.
Most North Carolina residential land allows only single-family homes, which restricts availability and raises prices. States like Montana and Washington changed that by requiring larger cities to allow duplexes and triplexes in all residential zones, creating thousands of new homes without altering neighborhood character. In 2020, Raleigh’s City Council approved a zoning reform that allowed backyard cottages on most residential lots, producing hundreds of new units. Lawmakers in Raleigh have considered bills to legalize backyard cottages statewide (S495/H627) and middle housing (S497), but none have passed, keeping most neighborhoods locked in single-family zoning that drives up costs for families, retirees, and young people.
Concurrently, housing proposals often spend a year stuck in review, which raises costs before construction begins. Utah solved this with a 90-day “shot clock” that requires local governments to approve or deny applications quickly. North Carolina already has a 45-day plan-review “shot clock” for commercial and multifamily building permits, but a broader 90-day one for development approvals was introduced but didn’t pass. Reviving that effort would give small builders predictability and accelerate housing starts, helping contain rising housing costs.
Strategic developer incentives are equally important as housing types and approval processes. North Carolina is sprawled outward with new developments paved on farmland that destroys nature and lengthens resident commutes. Instead, thoughtful zoning reductions throughout municipalities can motivate developers to build near transit lines, schools, and job centers — an approach used in Denver, North Carolina. This would limit development costs, support local infrastructure, and cultivate a walkable, connected neighborhood.
In Mooresville, where I grew up, many neighbors are frustrated by the idea of more housing. They see new subdivisions rising along Williamson Road and feel the consequences every morning in standstill traffic. My grandpa who has lived in Mooresville for 30 years says the quiet town he knew is disappearing under construction dust. Growth has come faster than the roads, water lines, and schools that support it, leaving many residents convinced that “more housing” only means more headaches and that people should just move elsewhere.
These frustrations are real, as are the financial incentives for homeowners to want to keep neighborhoods small to protect property values. But allowing more homes doesn’t have to hurt those values; having more residents strengthens them by expanding the tax base, supporting local businesses, and stabilizing prices through healthy competition. Yet too often, only high-end luxury apartments are built, instead of affordable, community-based neighborhoods that support young families. Policymakers should also make it easy to build duplexes, townhomes, and small pro-community buildings by reducing the current hurdles.
I’ve seen these housing challenges first-hand amongst young people across NC through the nonprofit I co-founded in 2020, the Young People’s Alliance. Over the past five years, we’ve listened to high schoolers and college students share how affordability, especially in housing, blocks their path to the “American Dream” we were promised. Our 1,000-member network has pushed for these reforms, including at the legislature last year. Now lawmakers must meet us halfway and make the first of the month less of a burden for our generation.
Allowing more small homes, speeding up approvals, and prioritizing thoughtful, pro-community housing would make paychecks go further and help people stay in the communities they love. That is a future my generation can believe in.
Iha Pemmaraju assisted in the research and editing process for this article. Iha currently attends Greenlevel High School in Apex, North Carolina, and serves as the YPA chapter leader at the school.