Bend’s housing problem won’t be fixed without more housing. And we came across some numbers that show that Bend has done relatively well on that front.

Not Bend’s-housing-crisis-is-solved well. But pretty well compared against other cities in Oregon.

We are talking about state data for permitted and produced housing. Permitted housing may not become housing in the same year it was permitted and may never come to fruition. But it helps to explain why more housing is sometimes produced than is permitted in a year. Here are some numbers for 2023.

Bend permitted housing: 1,804.

Bend produced housing: 1,374. (Most of the produced housing was multi-family, 710 units.)

Bend permitted affordable housing: 86.

Bend produced affordable housing: 162.

Bend produced and permitted more residential units than Eugene, which has about double the population of Bend.

Portland data was yet not available for 2023. Looking at 2022, Portland did completely outclass Bend in total housing production and permitted housing. But if you consider per capita production and permitting, Bend outclassed Portland in 2022.

This isn’t the housing Olympics, though. It isn’t a race. You can look at Bend’s numbers, look at housing prices and see that still Bend doesn’t have enough.

We know some would be happier if Bend stops growing. But a community with so little housing that teachers, firefighters, police officers and so many other workers must struggle to be able to live here is not a healthy community. That means more building is necessary.