Northshore Housing Needs
Workforce & housing

Can the People Our Economy Depends Upon Live Here?

Teachers, nurses, public-safety employees and other workers are not separate from economic development. Their housing choices affect workforce stability, commuting and the region's ability to sustain essential services. The examples below use verified income inputs, transparent assumptions and actual MLS choice sets. They are scenarios, not promises.

MLS Data Note: Statistics are derived from authorized MLS data for the reporting period shown. MLS data are dynamic and may be revised as listings are added, updated, corrected, or subsequently reported. Counts and calculations reflect the dataset used for this analysis and may differ from later MLS reports.
Verified

Beginning teacher

$51,533

One beginning teacher income.

Modeled range: approximately $87,000–$139,000
See assumptions

STPPS 2026–27 bachelor's schedule. Range uses the stated FHA baseline and illustrative insurance scenarios.

Verified

Registered nurse

$81,160

Occupational median benchmark.

Modeled range: approximately $177,000–$228,000
See assumptions

BLS OEWS via CareerOneStop, May 2025 median. It is not an individual nurse's salary.

Modeled

Teacher + police household

$95,205

Two verified income components combined.

Modeled range: approximately $219,000–$271,000
See assumptions

Beginning teacher plus Covington police starting base. This is a modeled household, not a claim about a typical household.

Modeled purchase-capacity ranges

28% housing share constrained by 36% total DTI, FHA 3.5% baseline, 6.71% PMMS benchmark, representative taxes, no lender-required flood premium, no HOA. Range varies illustrative insurance from $600 to $200/month.

Signature example

How much can one monthly cost change a teacher's housing choices?

The same household and financing assumptions produce very different choice sets as the illustrative insurance input changes.

$200/month insurance
≈ $139,000
modeled threshold
104 listings
priced at or below threshold
$400/month insurance
≈ $113,000
modeled threshold
50 listings
priced at or below threshold
$600/month insurance
≈ $87,000
modeled threshold
17 listings
priced at or below threshold
Key takeawayUnder these modeled assumptions, a $400 monthly difference in illustrative homeowners insurance changes the teacher's modeled purchase-capacity threshold by about $52,000 and crosses very different parts of the actual listing distribution.
What does this not prove? These insurance amounts are illustrative sensitivity scenarios. They are not parish averages, typical premiums or property-specific quotes.

Source: Phase 2D worker model and Phase 2B derived ROAM MLS threshold statistics · 2026 analytical snapshot.

At the $400/month teacher scenario

≈ $113,030

Modeled threshold. 50 active listings and 119 2026 closed sales were priced at or below it in the analytical cohorts.

Active housing-type composition

MLS classifications. Below-threshold does not automatically mean attainable or financeable.

Single income vs two incomes

Beginning teacher

$87K–$139K

Teacher + police modeled household

$219K–$271K

Household income structure materially changes modeled housing opportunity. This does not imply every household is single-income or dual-income.

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