PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - An affordable housing advocacy group says a Rhode Island family earning the state's median income can afford a home in just nine of the state's 39 cities and towns.

HousingWorks RI, a coalition of organizations dedicated to creating affordable housing, reported in a study Thursday that most of the affordable homes are in the state's urban core of Woonsocket, Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, Cranston, Warwick and West Warwick.

Still, the news is better than last year, when the group said a family earning the median income of less than $60,000 could afford homes in just two cities - Providence and Central Falls.

Executive Director Nellie Gorbea tells The Providence Journal that many essential workers are priced out of the housing market.

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