3 ms·

They want to be able to afford a house. Historically, in the US at least, for lower and middle class people that has been within reach. Now that's not the case.

by rozap 10mo ago

They want to be able to afford a house. Historically, in the US at least, for lower and middle class people that has been within reach. Now that's not the case. If I was in my late 20s and was lighting thousands per month on fire in rent, it'd be pretty darn alienating. Sure, if you zoom out far enough, the standard of living for zoomers is pretty good, there's not a mass casualty event when the potato crop fails. But if you don't (and I'd argue, you shouldn't) it's pretty clear that their economic prospects are worse than their parents. That is pretty bleak. It's no wonder why they're politically more radical than the other generations. Put in the simplest terms: Economic nihilism happens when no house.

icedrift 10mo ago
Per Atrioc
- rozap 10mo ago
  I've been got
asdff 10mo ago
They don't want just a house though. They want a house in a "cool" area. Look at median home prices in rust belt cities. Mortgages around $2k a month or so. Very doable for a lot of people but you never hear a drum beat about this. You never hear about people moving to these cities unless they have family there already to remind them that, hey, this is in fact a great deal.
- lovich 10mo ago
  Are there jobs in those cities who sit in an area named after their economic collapse? Do student loan costs go down if you move to a low cost of living area? We had some movement in the direction of people immigrating to low cost areas like that with the rise of remote work, but then execs decided they didn’t like not having control over their workers live and did RTO. To their offices in the cities with high rent and home prices. You never heard about people taking that “great deal” because it’s not a great deal. Like really, you think there’s money left on the table like that and there’s not at least some low double digit percentage of the population that would have sought out the benefit? Or is it more likely the market evaluated the option and it’s not good
  - cosmic_cheese 10mo ago
    Exactly. Do people want to live in desirable areas? Absolutely. The much bigger draw to expensive metros, however, are the vastly more robust job prospects that come with those areas. In a city, you have both much better chances of finding employment suited to your skills specifically, better chances of being paid well for it, and better chances of upwards mobility. Plus, should it become necessary you're more likely to be able to find something to keep the bills paid with even if it's not what you'd like to be doing. Low CoL areas by contrast come with scant employment that's generally poorly compensated and almost always has a low ceiling. In some cases one can commute into the city for work and live in LCoL area, but then you're burning time — multiple hours each day, usually — that you'll never get back on your employer instead of yourself or with your family, plus the myriad expenses that come with driving that far and often.
    - nradov 10mo ago
      Which skills do you mean? If you're talking about skills in software development or investment banking then that might be true. But skills in welding or nursing can be applied anywhere.
      - johnnyanmac 10mo ago
        Smaller areas have less hospitals and defense contractors. Nurses and Welders will be affected from the move too unless they already line something up.
        cosmic_cheese 10mo ago
        Yep. I come from a rural area and my hometown has little to offer to nurses or welders. Be prepared for both a long commute and high chance of needing to switch to a different (likely longer) commute periodically to be able to stay employed without becoming hostage to a crappy employer. This is why all the young people (including myself) end up moving out and why the town is approaching being entirely elderly. The countryside gets romanticized a lot but reality is not so rosy.
- techblueberry 10mo ago
  A yes, the rust belt, where folks are famously living like fat cats.
  - throwaway173738 10mo ago
    Detroit used to suck, but it seems like enough millenials took that deal that it’s way better than ten years ago.
- beej71 10mo ago
  Used to be you could buy a starter home in those cool places. I live in one today with a $1200 mortgage. Good luck buying that now, kids.
- johnnyanmac 10mo ago
  >They don't want just a house though. They want a house in a "cool" area. I'd just like a proper job again, thanks. Just like I had before the tech industry shit itself 2-3 years ago. My current "cool" ideas are not being in debt and not worrying about a 3000 dollar catalytic converter replacement. Now my "really cool ideas" is being able to take a bus around town without being stranded if I miss the last bus at 8pm. But that's blue sky thinking right now.
nradov 10mo ago
Affording a house is totally within reach if you want to make it a priority. Quite a few US states have both a low unemployment rate and a high homeownership rate. Try Vermont, Alabama, Montana, New Hampshire, Maine, Wyoming, etc. I understand that failed progressive policies have ruined opportunities for youths in some other states and that sucks but nationwide the future is still bright. https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm https://www.statsamerica.org/sip/rank_list.aspx?rank_label=hou20 https://www.statsamerica.org/sip/rank_list.aspx?rank_label=h...
- johnnyanmac 10mo ago
  1. unemployment rate is low because people unemployed Doordash to make ends meet. This is not "a house is within reach" money. 2. saying "move to a state with less job opportunity" to afford necessities really shows how out of touch people are with the youth. They moving to another state with what money? How are they getting approved without a job in tow? 3. "I understand that failed progressive policies have ruined opportunities for youths in some other states" is a doubly loaded sentence. a) it was not "progressive policies" that enabled zoning laws, lobbied out workers rights and unions, and made women lose agencies of their bodies. b) This isn't a "state by state" thing. Tell me how the job market is in Kentucky and why it's thriving compared to New York 4. "nationwide the future is still bright" The nation is bright when old people prosper and the youth suffer (which you half acknowledge)? So what's happening in 20 years when most of those people die? Is it gonna finally trickle down this time?
  - nradov 10mo ago
    Do you seriously believe that a lot of people in Vermont and Wyoming are working DoorDash? Young people are literally buying houses in those places. Put your prejudices aside and look at the actual economic data. Or keep whining, your choice.
    - johnnyanmac 10mo ago
      >Do you seriously believe that a lot of people in Vermont and Wyoming are working DoorDash? Among the youth who cannot get into entry level work, or the displaced who can't find a new job: yes. >Put your prejudices aside and look at the actual economic data. https://www.pymnts.com/gig-economy/2025/gen-z-turns-side-gigs-into-57-of-total-income/ https://www.pymnts.com/gig-economy/2025/gen-z-turns-side-gig... >Side hustles account for 43% of the average hustler’s total income. That share climbs to 57% for Gen Z consumers and a striking 76% for those earning under $50,000 annually — turning what was once a cushion into a core source of liquidity. Okay, your turn. Where's your economic data instead of "I know a young rocj dude who bought a house". Or is it easier to blame everyone else instead of taking a look at the reality around you.

by rozap 10mo ago

icedrift 10mo ago

Per Atrioc

rozap 10mo ago
I've been got

asdff 10mo ago

They don't want just a house though. They want a house in a "cool" area. Look at median home prices in rust belt cities. Mortgages around $2k a month or so. Very doable for a lot of people but you never hear a drum beat about this. You never hear about people moving to these cities unless they have family there already to remind them that, hey, this is in fact a great deal.

lovich 10mo ago
Are there jobs in those cities who sit in an area named after their economic collapse? Do student loan costs go down if you move to a low cost of living area? We had some movement in the direction of people immigrating to low cost areas like that with the rise of remote work, but then execs decided they didn’t like not having control over their workers live and did RTO. To their offices in the cities with high rent and home prices. You never heard about people taking that “great deal” because it’s not a great deal. Like really, you think there’s money left on the table like that and there’s not at least some low double digit percentage of the population that would have sought out the benefit? Or is it more likely the market evaluated the option and it’s not good
- cosmic_cheese 10mo ago
  Exactly. Do people want to live in desirable areas? Absolutely. The much bigger draw to expensive metros, however, are the vastly more robust job prospects that come with those areas. In a city, you have both much better chances of finding employment suited to your skills specifically, better chances of being paid well for it, and better chances of upwards mobility. Plus, should it become necessary you're more likely to be able to find something to keep the bills paid with even if it's not what you'd like to be doing. Low CoL areas by contrast come with scant employment that's generally poorly compensated and almost always has a low ceiling. In some cases one can commute into the city for work and live in LCoL area, but then you're burning time — multiple hours each day, usually — that you'll never get back on your employer instead of yourself or with your family, plus the myriad expenses that come with driving that far and often.
  - nradov 10mo ago
    Which skills do you mean? If you're talking about skills in software development or investment banking then that might be true. But skills in welding or nursing can be applied anywhere.
    - johnnyanmac 10mo ago
      Smaller areas have less hospitals and defense contractors. Nurses and Welders will be affected from the move too unless they already line something up.
      - cosmic_cheese 10mo ago
        Yep. I come from a rural area and my hometown has little to offer to nurses or welders. Be prepared for both a long commute and high chance of needing to switch to a different (likely longer) commute periodically to be able to stay employed without becoming hostage to a crappy employer. This is why all the young people (including myself) end up moving out and why the town is approaching being entirely elderly. The countryside gets romanticized a lot but reality is not so rosy.
techblueberry 10mo ago
A yes, the rust belt, where folks are famously living like fat cats.
- throwaway173738 10mo ago
  Detroit used to suck, but it seems like enough millenials took that deal that it’s way better than ten years ago.
beej71 10mo ago
Used to be you could buy a starter home in those cool places. I live in one today with a $1200 mortgage. Good luck buying that now, kids.
johnnyanmac 10mo ago
>They don't want just a house though. They want a house in a "cool" area. I'd just like a proper job again, thanks. Just like I had before the tech industry shit itself 2-3 years ago. My current "cool" ideas are not being in debt and not worrying about a 3000 dollar catalytic converter replacement. Now my "really cool ideas" is being able to take a bus around town without being stranded if I miss the last bus at 8pm. But that's blue sky thinking right now.

nradov 10mo ago

Affording a house is totally within reach if you want to make it a priority. Quite a few US states have both a low unemployment rate and a high homeownership rate. Try Vermont, Alabama, Montana, New Hampshire, Maine, Wyoming, etc. I understand that failed progressive policies have ruined opportunities for youths in some other states and that sucks but nationwide the future is still bright. https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm https://www.statsamerica.org/sip/rank_list.aspx?rank_label=hou20 https://www.statsamerica.org/sip/rank_list.aspx?rank_label=h...

johnnyanmac 10mo ago
1. unemployment rate is low because people unemployed Doordash to make ends meet. This is not "a house is within reach" money. 2. saying "move to a state with less job opportunity" to afford necessities really shows how out of touch people are with the youth. They moving to another state with what money? How are they getting approved without a job in tow? 3. "I understand that failed progressive policies have ruined opportunities for youths in some other states" is a doubly loaded sentence. a) it was not "progressive policies" that enabled zoning laws, lobbied out workers rights and unions, and made women lose agencies of their bodies. b) This isn't a "state by state" thing. Tell me how the job market is in Kentucky and why it's thriving compared to New York 4. "nationwide the future is still bright" The nation is bright when old people prosper and the youth suffer (which you half acknowledge)? So what's happening in 20 years when most of those people die? Is it gonna finally trickle down this time?
- nradov 10mo ago
  Do you seriously believe that a lot of people in Vermont and Wyoming are working DoorDash? Young people are literally buying houses in those places. Put your prejudices aside and look at the actual economic data. Or keep whining, your choice.
  - johnnyanmac 10mo ago
    >Do you seriously believe that a lot of people in Vermont and Wyoming are working DoorDash? Among the youth who cannot get into entry level work, or the displaced who can't find a new job: yes. >Put your prejudices aside and look at the actual economic data. https://www.pymnts.com/gig-economy/2025/gen-z-turns-side-gigs-into-57-of-total-income/ https://www.pymnts.com/gig-economy/2025/gen-z-turns-side-gig... >Side hustles account for 43% of the average hustler’s total income. That share climbs to 57% for Gen Z consumers and a striking 76% for those earning under $50,000 annually — turning what was once a cushion into a core source of liquidity. Okay, your turn. Where's your economic data instead of "I know a young rocj dude who bought a house". Or is it easier to blame everyone else instead of taking a look at the reality around you.