Numbers can be very telling. While the housing crisis in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee seems to be at its peak, data from the previous 15 years can point to how we got here. Population numbers have declined, as have annual per capita incomes, while housing prices continue to rise after the recession. “The high rates of second home ownership in the region reduce social cohesion and support for local services, which impacts lake communities on many levels,” according to the Tahoe Prosperity Center’s Measuring for Prosperity report. “Across the region, home prices have been increasing but are still substantially below the levels prior to the recession. In most communities in the north, prices then began to increase in 2013 and 2014.” The following data give a glimpse into the region’s issues. The data varies in each category and is not universal, which underscores the importance of the housing needs assessment effort underway by the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and its partners. For personal housing stories, see here.