The Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy was adopted by Champaign City Council on August 18th, 2026. A summary of the study's findings and recommendations can be found here.
Nationwide, there is a record-breaking number of individuals and families who are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain housing, whether renting an apartment or buying a house. Additionally, an increasing number of residents are becoming burdened by the cost of decent and safe housing. From March 2025 to August 2026, the City of Champaign conducted a Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy in partnership with RDG Planning & Design to better understand these challenges and make a plan for addressing them. Continue to visit this page to see updates on implementation of the strategies recommended in the Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy.
Major takeaways from the Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy include:
- There needs to be an additional 7,000 housing units built in Champaign from 2025 to 2035 in order to keep up with population growth, increase the vacancy rate, and increase the supply of available for-sale and rental homes.
- Champaign has a very low residential vacancy rate, at 2%. A healthy vacancy rate is between 5-7%. Low vacancy rates are associated with steeper rent increases and a more difficult experience for residents who are looking for housing.
- Champaign's largest gap is in housing that would be affordable to low-income residents. Of the 7,000 homes needed by 2035, it is projected that 1,255 of those need to be very affordable rentals, which translates to about $500/month in rental costs. Housing at this affordability level will not be built by the private market and will require some kind of subsidy, such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).
