Housing Cost Burden in United States
United States
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United States Value:
31.9%
Percentage of households for which housing costs are 30% or more of household income
Housing Cost Burden in depth:
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About Housing Cost Burden
US Value: 31.9%
Top State(s): West Virginia: 20.9%
Bottom State(s): California: 41.1%
Definition: Percentage of households for which housing costs are 30% or more of household income
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2023
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Households are considered cost-burdened when housing costs — such as rent or mortgage payments — comprise more than 30% of household income. High rent burdens can strain household budgets and cause individuals to fall behind on bills or debt payments. Cost-burdened households may have difficulty affording other basic necessities such as health care, food, utility bills and transportation to work or school.
Families that struggle to afford housing may face eviction, foreclosure and homelessness. Households with housing instability are exposed to increased stress that affects physical and mental health. One study found that living in unaffordable housing is associated with hypertension and arthritis, as well as poorer self-rated physical and mental health.
The median rent for newly-leased units in the United States increased nearly 32% between 2017 and 2022, with most of that increase occurring in 2021 and 2022.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of cost-burdened households is higher among:
- Those ages 15-24 compared with other age groups.
- Those with an annual household income less than $20,000, compared with other income levels; the prevalence of being cost burdened decreases with each increase in income level.
- Renters compared with homeowners. Renters also historically have lower incomes than homeowners.
Additional research has found that cost burden is also higher among:
Rental assistance and income support programs are essential to promoting equitable housing opportunities. Increasing the existing housing supply can keep housing costs down and benefit all households regardless of income level.
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps has identified strategies for improving access to and affordability of housing from the community to the federal level. Rental vouchers, subsidized housing and utility assistance programs can help cost-burdened individuals afford safe and healthy housing:
- Through the Section 221(D)(4) program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development insures lenders against loss on mortgage loans to encourage the construction or rehabilitation of rental and cooperative housing for moderate-income families.
- The Department of Agriculture's Housing Repair Program and the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) can help low-income homeowners repair and improve the safety of their homes. Households that utilize WAP services can save more than $372 annually.
- Through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), the Administration for Communities and Families provides grant funding to assist financially-burdened households with utility costs.
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development offers financial assistance to older adults, low-income families and disabled people through housing choice vouchers, which offset rental costs and are not limited to subsidized housing. Vouchers can also be used to support the development of more affordable rental housing.
- The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, however, is the main source of government support for building affordable housing, investing approximately $10 billion a year in projects that create housing for low-income households.
Healthy People 2030 has a goal to reduce the proportion of families that spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
Braveman, Paula, Mercedes Dekker, Susan Egerter, Tabashir Sadegh-Nobari, and Craig Pollack. “Housing and Health.” Issue Brief #7: Exploring the Social Determinants of Health. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America, May 2011. https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2011/05/housing-and-health.html.
Gibson, Marcia, Mark Petticrew, Clare Bambra, Amanda J. Sowden, Kath E. Wright, and Margaret Whitehead. “Housing and Health Inequalities: A Synthesis of Systematic Reviews of Interventions Aimed at Different Pathways Linking Housing and Health.” Health & Place 17, no. 1 (January 2011): 175–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.09.011.
Swope, Carolyn B., and Diana Hernández. “Housing as a Determinant of Health Equity: A Conceptual Model.” Social Science & Medicine 243 (December 2019): 112571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112571.
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