Another list: Asheville in top 20 for best place to live; local experts disagree

Livability.com, a website that uses research studies to rank the most livable cities in the United States, has ranked Asheville No. 19 on its list of 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2022.

For the study, which focused on mid-sized cities of 500,000 people or less, Livability.com examined more than 2,300 cities based on more than 50 data points grouped into eight categories: economic stability, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, and health care.

“As remote work trends continue and affordability becomes more elusive amidst high inflation, people are thinking about where their money goes the farthest,” Amanda Ellis, editor in chief of Livability.com, said in a press release. “Our Top 100 Best Places to Live list celebrates the amazing small and mid-sized communities across the U.S. – the ones who really shine when it comes to offering affordability alongside amenities and opportunity.”

Livibility.com said that its 2022 rankings were influenced by a different study conducted by the platform in partnership with Ipsos, a market research and consulting firm.

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The March 2022 study surveyed more than 1,000 adults aged 18 and up from across the country, asking them which “characteristics of livability they would value in a prospective home community, with an emphasis on how rising costs are affecting their relocation decisions.” The study found that 7 in 10 adults consider affordability a top-three factor influencing a decision to relocate.

Affordability was a core value in the Best Places to Live list, and the list factored places that have growing wages and home values, while maintaining an affordable cost of living.

While Asheville ranked in the top 20% of the 100 Best Places to Live, Jessie Fitueroa, director of housing at Homeward Bound, disagrees that Asheville even fits this description.

“I would disagree with the fact that we are not in an affordable housing crisis right now in our city. I think very much that we are in an affordable housing crisis,” Fitueroa said. “What we are seeing here is, in 2022, the rate at which rents are increasing is the most significant, quickest rate change that has happened since 1986.”

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For the first quarter of 2021, the market asking rent per unit for a multifamily home in Asheville was $1,285. In the first quarter of 2022, it was $1,523, an increase of 18.5%. That's according to the National Association of Realtors, which put together a national Commercial Real Estate Metro Market Conditions Index for the first quarter of 2022. Nationally, the market asking rent per unit saw an increase of 11.4%, from $1,425 to $1,587. Therefore, the cost of rent is rising faster in Asheville than it is nationally, according to NAR.

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Livability.com listed Asheville’s sprawling food scene and readiness for remote workers as two contributing factors to its ranking. But Fitueroa points out how remote workers flooding to Asheville are actually contributing to the area’s increased rent, and restaurant workers, among others, are feeling the effect.

“There are a lot of folks moving here – that may be working remotely, that are getting their salaries from other locations such as New York or California – are able to come in and purchase homes with cash or to be more competitive in the market by offering higher rents,” Fitueroa said.

Fitueroa noted that as these rents are being pushed higher and higher, local people who make under the area’s median income are unable to compete with renters making higher wages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, whose data lags behind a couple years, Asheville’s household median income in 2020 was $53,621.

“What we see here in Asheville with a very high hospitality job pool, with restaurant job pools here, is there are numerous folks living well under the area’s median income,” Fitueroa said. “So, the truth of the matter is we have teachers, we have firefighters, we have other people in careers that are actually making less than the area median income and qualify for affordable housing, which is limited based on income. And the vacancy rate is extremely, extremely low.”

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Patrick Bowen, a researcher who has conducted housing reports and updates for the city of Asheville, conducted a 2021 housing needs assessment for Dogwood Health Trust in Asheville. The report examines data from 18 Northwest Carolina counties and the Qualla Boundary (the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' reservation).

Limited availability and affordability in the local housing market remain challenges for most residents, according to the report. Bowen found the largest number of vacant units in the region is among the market-rate supply, at 147 units. However, properties operating exclusively as market-rate have an overall vacancy rate of 1.0%.

Kate Brown, who works in rapid rehousing for Homeward Bound, said that through their homeless prevention program's online screening tool, they have seen a significant increase over the past few months in the number of people reaching out on a daily basis, many of whom have never experience homelessness before.

According to Fitueroa, they are seeing many people who are frustrated alongside "a real lack of landlords who are willing to work with (rental assistance) programs," like Homeward Bound and the City of Asheville Housing Authority.

"I think that folks are frustrated because it seems so, so high to charge $1,400 for a one-bedroom unit," Fitueroa said. "And so mostly its frustration, because even if those folks are earning income or receiving income through disability or social security, it’s still not enough without extra rental assistance to remain stable in housing."

Ryley Ober is a news intern with the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at ROber@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville ranked No. 19 among best places to live in America