Less Than 40% of Boston’s Three-Bedroom Homes Occupied by Families

Less than 40 percent of three-bedroom homes in Greater Boston’s core house families with children. Much of that housing is occupied by people without children.

Researchers at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council found 221,000 houses and apartments with three or more bedrooms. About 78,000 of those are home to families with children. About the same number house just one or two people, many of them homeowners older than 55.

Among rental properties, about 25,000, or more than one-third, are inhabited by groups of roommates. People with such living arrangements have more spending power than one or two working parents, a situation that makes it difficult for larger families to find affordable housing.

The report says it’s becoming an increasing problem for the region’s economy and workforce.

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