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Nantucket houses harbor housing study

Nantucket Workforce Housing Study, 2026 Findings

Remain’s recent study examines how employer-supported housing affects Nantucket’s workforce, businesses and year-round community. Conducted with the Boston-based consulting firm EBP US from January through June 2026, the study surveyed 72 island employers, interviewed stakeholders, reviewed property data and looked at four other tourism-dependent communities facing the same pressure: Davos, Switzerland; the Isle of Skye, Scotland; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Key West, Florida.

What the study found is that housing has become a business function on Nantucket. Employers are absorbing the cost of a gap the market is no longer filling, and most of them expect that cost to grow. Among the findings:

  • $91.9 million — the minimum annual cost of employer-supported housing to Nantucket businesses.
  • 68 percent of responding employers provide some form of housing support.
  • 64 percent have lost or declined to hire an employee because of housing.
  • 72 percent expect their housing needs to grow.

The full presentation covers what employers said about becoming de facto property managers, what other communities have tried and what a durable, long-term strategy for Nantucket would need to do.

DOWNLOADS — Nantucket Workforce Housing Study Final Presentation
DOWNLOADS — Nantucket Workforce Housing Study Findings Report