Renters More Likely Than Homeowners to Spend More Than 30% of Income on Housing in Almost All Counties

Over 19 million U.S. renter households spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs in 2021, according to data from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates released today.

Households are considered cost burdened when they spend more than 30% of their income on rent, mortgage and other housing needs.

The burden was especially high in some of the nation’s largest counties where housing is more expensive or in areas where incomes are low.

The ACS collects a variety of housing cost information for renters (monthly rent and utility bills) and for homeowners (mortgage principal and interest, real estate taxes, homeowner’s insurance, utilities, mobile home costs, second mortgage payments and condominium fees if applicable).

Nearly half of the counties where renters had the highest median housing cost ratios were in the South.

Out of the 44 million renter households, the vast majority (41 million) paid rent and had household income. Households with zero or negative income, or those in rented units not paying cash rent, were excluded from calculations.

In 239 or 7.6% of the nation’s 3,143 counties, more than half of renter households that paid rent and had a household income faced housing cost burdens.

Among them are some of the most populous U.S. counties like Harris County, Texas, and Los Angeles County, California. Over 15.8 million renters, roughly one-third of all renter households in the nation, lived in these 239 counties.

In contrast to the prevalence of burden faced by renters, the median housing cost ratio for homeowners rarely topped 30%, and homeowners with and without a mortgage frequently had lower overall housing costs than renters.

Homeowners in only 18 counties – less than half a percent of all counties – had a higher housing cost ratio than renters. In fact, there were only two counties where the median housing cost ratio for homeowners (with a mortgage) was above 30%: Taliaferro County, Georgia, and Trinity County, California.

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