Workforce housing is housing for the occupations needed in every community, including teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and many other critical workers. The families in need of workforce housing do not fall neatly into a single narrow income category. Employees in some industries (e.g. retail sales, food service, tourism) are likely to be in the lower income ranges. Seasoned workforce jobs with education or training requirements, such as teachers, police officers, nurses, etc., may fall into the middle-income brackets but still find it difficult to afford homes in the community where they work.
For instance, in the Greater Lansing region, the average annual wage for restaurant cooks is $28,000, for teachers is $50,000 and for police officers is $60,000.