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Housing Affordability

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  3. Housing Affordability

Row of houses.

Vizualizations and Story by Melanie Kiper | Updated 5/29/2021

The conventional public policy indicator of housing affordability in the United States is the percent of income spent on housing. Housing expenditures that exceed 30% of household income have historically been viewed as an indicator of a housing affordability problem. Those households are considered burdened.

The map, chart, and table below present data on the percent of households that spend 30% or more of the household income on housing expenses as a proxy of affordability of suitable housing. The data is from the American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Owner occupied housing costs are a combination of mortgage, second mortgage or home equity loans, real estate taxes, homeowners insurance, condo fees (if applicable) mobile home cost (if applicable) and utilities. Renter occupied housing costs are a combination of contract rent and utilities. The costs are divided by monthly household income to calculate the cost as a percent of income.

Not surprisingly, the map illustrates that the areas with the highest percentage of housing burden are on the coasts, with lower percentage of housing burden towards the middle of the country.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S2503.

Percent of households paying 30% or more of household income on housing expenses, for U.S. metro areas, 2020

    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2016-2020, Table S2503.

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