While salary may initially beat location when it comes to considering a new job opportunity, workers are in fact searching for a place to live that offers a good combination of career opportunities AND housing that they can afford. Many workers are finding that their options aren’t always obvious.
Rochester—while not quite a New York or San Francisco—offers high-paying jobs, but rents and home prices have shot up beyond the reach of most workers. "When you have a hot real estate market like Rochester…with these massive investments and a lot of people looking for housing, the market is not paying attention to working families and those with disabilities [and the] elderly in ways it pays attention to people with six-digit incomes," said Ryan Allen, associate professor of community and economic development at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School.
Rochester needs doctors, nurses, and other highly skilled professionals, but the city also needs to fill other jobs from entry-level positions to service sectors like restaurants and retail - amenities people want where they live. Locations like Rochester with high salaries will continue to lose talent because sky-high rents are outpacing paychecks, so how should the city create workforce-priced housing to attract and retain talent? Should it be left to market forces? When is government intervention appropriate? Join this discussion as we ask these and other questions (and take yours!) at our next Policy and a Pint with MPR host, Steve Seel.
Funded by Target and the Bush Foundation, Policy and a Pint® is an event series presented by the Citizens League and 89.3 The Current that engages people in important conversations about public policy in Minnesota.
Thursday Jun 29, 2017
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CDT
The Bleu Duck
14 4th St SW
Rochester, MN 55902
$10 General
$5 Students (with school ID)
Register Here