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Affordable Housing in West Chester's Zip Code 19380: Two Decades of LIHTC Projects
CATEGORY
Affordable Housing
DATA
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
West Chester, Pennsylvania, zip code 19380, contains Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funded affordable housing. This zip code has 44 affordable units, all designated as low-income units. These LIHTC-funded projects contribute to the area's housing diversity and affordability.
Based on the 2022 population of 49,880 and using the national average household size of 2.61, there are approximately 19,111 housing units in this zip code. The 44 LIHTC-funded affordable units represent about 0.23% of the estimated housing inventory.
The LIHTC projects in this zip code have received $490,994 in tax credits. With 44 total units, this equates to an average federal funding of approximately $11,159 per unit. This zip code accounts for 0.08% of the total LIHTC funding allocated to Pennsylvania, indicating a relatively small share of the state's affordable housing investment.
The first LIHTC project in this zip code, WC Oak Place Housing Project, was completed in 2002, while the most recent documented project, Breaking New Ground, was finished in 2005. This suggests that LIHTC-funded affordable housing has been present in the area for at least two decades.
The 2000s saw the most affordable housing activity in this zip code, with two projects completed during this decade. The WC Oak Place Housing Project, completed in 2002, provides 31 units, including 6 two-bedroom, 15 three-bedroom, and 1 four-bedroom units. Breaking New Ground, finished in 2005, offers 13 three-bedroom units.
Over the past decade, the zip code has experienced slight population growth, increasing from 48,990 in 2013 to 49,880 in 2022. The median income has also risen, from $101,620 in 2013 to $112,298 in 2022, indicating a generally affluent area.
The racial composition has remained relatively stable, with a slight decrease in the white population from 83% in 2013 to 82% in 2021, and small increases in Asian and Black populations. The Hispanic population has remained consistent at around 4-5%.
Despite the area's overall affluence, the presence of LIHTC projects indicates a recognized need for affordable housing options. However, the lack of new LIHTC projects in the last decade might suggest that other housing programs or market-rate developments are addressing affordable housing needs, or that local conditions have changed.
Zip code 19380 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, has a small but established LIHTC-funded affordable housing presence, with 44 units across multiple projects. While these units represent a small percentage of the estimated housing stock, they provide important affordable options in an area with rising median incomes. The concentration of LIHTC development in the early 2000s, followed by a lack of new projects in recent years, may reflect changing local housing needs or policy priorities. This analysis highlights the complex interplay between affordable housing initiatives, demographic trends, and local economic conditions in shaping a community's housing landscape.
