Comptroller's report says state housing shortage, soaring costs fueling Maryland population exodus

Tom's first guest today is Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman. A recent 78-page report in the Comptroller’s “State of the Economy” series focuses on the cost of housing, which has risen more than 60% nationwide in just the past six years, and left about half of Maryland residents struggling to afford a place to live. In her introduction to the report, the Comptroller writes: “A troubling consequence of high housing costs is that working-aged, middle-income households are moving to more affordable states. In recent years, we’ve been losing a net average of about 40,000 people per year to states with lower housing costs and more housing options. This outmigration is a downward drag on our labor market, economic output, and state and local revenues. It could also result in Maryland losing federal representation after the 2030 census." Tom spoke with the Comptroller earlier this morning. She joined us on Zoom… Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman will participate in a Town Hall in Howard County this Thursday evening at 6:00 at the Applied Physics Lab of Johns Hopkins University. She’ll be joined by Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth, Senator Angela Alsobrooks, and MD Attorney General Anthony Brown.