Housing Cost Burden in United States

United States

Households are considered cost-burdened when housing costs 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 and heat. 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. A study found that living in unaffordable housing is associated with poorer self-rated physical and mental health, hypertension and arthritis. Additionally, men and women with lower incomes have a lower life expectancy than wealthier individuals. 

Median rent costs in the United States increased by 15% between 2001 and 2019, while median income only increased 3.4%. In 2021, 40.6 million American households spent more than 30% of their income on housing, including nearly half of all renters. The burden was notably high in low-income areas and areas where housing is more expensive.

The prevalence of cost-burdened households is higher among: 

• Women compared with men. 
• Black and Latino households compared with white and Asian households. 
• Those with an annual household income of $30,000 or less, compared with other income levels. 
• Renters compared with homeowners. Renters also historically have lower incomes than homeowners.

Rental assistance and income support programs are essential to promote equitable housing opportunities. The White House’s Housing Supply Action Plan aims to minimize the burden of housing costs by constructing and preserving rental housing for low- and moderate-income families. 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 U.S. 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.

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.

Vega, William A., and Steven P. Wallace. “Affordable Housing: A Key Lever to Community Health for Older Americans.” American Journal of Public Health 106, no. 4 (April 2016): 635–36. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.303034.