Also important to note that when they calculate the increase in shelter cost, they don't use actual rents which are readily available to use for data. They use a made up number called owners equivalent rent that no one actually pays which is derived by methods that are suspect at best. Meanwhile actual rents are up way more than 33% in the past 11 years. I'd say median rents have probably doubled in that time. Congrats if you were born in the right generation and the right time to secure a big house on your level 12 pay with a 2.75% 30 year fixed mortgage. Millenials right now are fucked. Look at how much home ownership has gone up in the last 5 years alone. Not only have the price of homes nearly doubled, but now interest rates on a 30 year are 6.5%, and property taxes/insurance rates/maintenance costs have soared. The monthly payments/expenses on the average house are up at least 60% in 5 years and that's a conservative estimate.