The median home price in Albemarle County this May was $554,000 and the median rent is around $2,200. Either is out of reach of many in the community—especially those on government salaries.
“Police officers start at $60,798, firefighters at $59,825,” said Kaki Dimock, Albemarle’s chief of human services, at a June 17 Board of Supervisors meeting. “Teachers start at $57,511. Traditional social workers in the Department of Social Services start at $54,583.”
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, housing is considered affordable if a household pays no more than 30 percent of its total income. Still, about half of renters exceed that amount…