Teachers Struggling To Pay For Housing, Even With 50 Hour, Year-Round Work Weeks

Despite the number of teachers working more than 50 hours each week increasing by 43 percent since 1990, our nations’ teachers are struggling to afford their own housing. Let’s make this really clear: More teachers than ever are working during the summer. More and more of our teachers are working more than 50 hours a week and more than 50 weeks out of the year. Yet they are struggling to afford their housing.

Nearly one-fifth of primary-earner teachers are significantly burdened by their housing costs.

This shockingly sad information is from a recent Apartment List analysis. It gets even sadder though…

Our nation’s teachers – the men and women who care for our children, inspire our children, protect our children, discipline our children and regularly feed and sometimes even provide clothing for our children – are more cost-burdened than any other college-educated group of professionals.

This group used to seek some comfort in knowing that they have summers off to be with their own children more than in other professions, but no more. Check out this excerpt from the Apartment List analysis:

“It would be intuitive to assume that this additional work may be the result of teachers supplementing their incomes by spending more time at second jobs. However, despite working more, the average share of teachers’ total income coming from their primary teaching job has remained relatively stable over time. This implies that either (1) teaching jobs have become more demanding and the extra work that teachers are doing is at their primary jobs or (2) teachers’ side jobs have become less lucrative, and teachers need to work more at secondary jobs to supplement their incomes by a similar amount.”

Yet still, affording their second more basic need, after food, is an increasing struggle.

Consider the implications proposed by the author of the analysis:

“Teaching is one of the most important professions in our society, but unfortunately, teachers are often not compensated in a way enables economic security. Nationally, one-in-five primary earner teachers are burdened by their housing costs, and in some of the nation’s most expensive housing markets, that figure is more than one-in-three. Widespread teacher strikes and rising attrition rates point to the difficulty of living comfortably on a teacher’s salary. If not addressed, this issue may deter young educators away from the teaching profession, with significant negative implications for the quality of the American education system.”

$164,900

2362 Jamaican Street 52 Clearwater, Florida

2 Beds 2 Baths 1,100 SqFt

$440,000

18509 Otterwood Avenue Tampa, Florida

4 Beds 2 Baths 2,043 SqFt 0.200 Acres

$254,900

2101 Sunset Point Road 1402 Clearwater, Florida

2 Beds 2 Baths 1,424 SqFt

$2,450

10105 Sea Spray Place Tampa, Florida

3 Beds 2 Baths 1,562 SqFt 0.110 Acres

$109,900

1799 N Highland Avenue 59 Clearwater, Florida

1 Beds 1 Baths 630 SqFt

$419,900

9503 42nd Way N Pinellas Park, Florida

2 Beds 2 Baths 1,726 SqFt 0.170 Acres

$114,900

601 N Hercules Avenue 1006 Clearwater, Florida

1 Beds 1 Baths 644 SqFt

$300,000

1304 E Louisiana Avenue Tampa, Florida

2 Beds 1 Baths 708 SqFt 0.060 Acres

$174,900

4780 Cove Circle Circle 205 St Petersburg, Florida

1 Beds 1 Baths 630 SqFt

$2,600

1881 Hovenweep Road Wesley Chapel, Florida

3 Beds 3 Baths 1,673 SqFt 0.040 Acres

$1,550,000

31 Concord Drive Dunedin, Florida

4 Beds 3 Baths 2,749 SqFt 0.170 Acres

$119,900

5615 40th Avenue N 413 Kenneth City, Florida

2 Beds 2 Baths 875 SqFt

$425,000

6158 Palma Del Mar Boulevard S 208 St Petersburg, Florida

2 Beds 2 Baths 890 SqFt

$399,900

523 Lantern Circle Temple Terrace, Florida

4 Beds 2 Baths 1,673 SqFt 0.230 Acres

$529,000

13025 Prestwick Drive Riverview, Florida

4 Beds 3 Baths 2,316 SqFt 0.250 Acres

THINKING OF SELLING YOUR TAMPA BAY AREA HOME?

If you’re interested in selling a Tampa Bay area home, please contact us for more information about listing your home. Check out our helpful article describing the process and how to decide if it’s the right time to sell.

ARE YOU BUYING A HOME FOR SALE IN TAMPA BAY?

If you’re thinking about buying a home in Tampa Bay, do a quick online search or check out our:

• Tampa Bay homes for sale under $100,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $100,000 and $200,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $200,000 and $300,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $300,000 and $400,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $400,000 and $500,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $500,000 and $600,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $600,000 and $700,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $700,000 and $800,000
• Tampa Bay homes for sale between $800,000 and $900,000

Our experienced agents know the area and would love to find you the perfect home in the Tampa Bay or any of the surrounding areas.  When you’re ready, call us at 813-961-6000, or contact us online. We handle real estate in Hillsborough County (the Tampa – St. Petersburg – Clearwater metropolitan area), real estate in Pasco County (Port Richey, New Port Richey, Dade City, Zephyrhills and San Antonio), and real estate in Pinellas County (Tampa – St. Petersburg metropolitan area.) We’ll help you find the right home for your needs!