Severe Renter Costs Burden

In Florida and Louisiana, 29% of renters pay the majority of their household income on housing costs.

Severe housing cost burdens by county, 2017-21 (5-yr average)

Percent of renter households paying half or more of household income on housing costs

Source: Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2017-21.

At least 1 in 4 renters in several Southern states (LA, FL, WV, MS, and SC) used half or more of their total household income toward housing costs from 2017-2021. Having to spend the majority of their income on rent means less money for families to buy food, clothing, medical care, educational needs, and other necessities.^1,2

The number of renters burdened by housing costs continues to rise, jumping from 19 million households in 2019 to 20.1 million households in 2021.³ This increase was largely driven by households with lower incomes, with half of renter households in the lowest income quintile spending more than 60% of their income on rent. Marginal increases in housing costs can have a significant impact on lower income families. A Harvard study finds that while the median renter household had $2,400 per month after paying for housing costs, renter households with an income of $30,000 or less had just $360 to cover remaining basic needs.⁴ Though monthly median rent prices have lowered since a record high of $2,053 in 2022, rent costs still remain high relative to previous years.^5,6

1. “Housing Cost Burden, Material Hardship, and WellBeing”. Shamsuddin, Campbell. Housing Policy Debate. March, 2021. https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Housing-Cost-Burden-Material-Hardship-and-Well-Being.pdf

2. “The Rent Eats First – Rental Housing Unaffordability in the US”. Airgood-Obrycki, Hermann, and Wedeen. Joint Center for Housing Studies. January, 2021. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/research/files/harvard_jchs_rent_eats_first_airgood-obrycki_hermann_wedeen_2021.pdf

3. “Low-Income Renters Spent Larger Share of Income on Rent in 2021”. Mateyka, Yoo. U.S. Census Bureau. March, 2023. https://www.redfin.com/news/redfin-rental-report-december-2022/ 

4. “America’s Rental Housing, 2022”. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_Americas_Rental_Housing_2022.pdf 

5. “Rental Market Tracker: Rent Growth Slowed for Seventh Straight Month in December”. Katz. Redfin. January, 2023. https://www.redfin.com/news/redfin-rental-report-december-2022/

6. “The Rental Housing Crisis Is a Supply Problem That Needs Supply Solutions”. Khan, Weller, Roberts, and Zonta. Center for American Progress. August, 2022. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-rental-housing-crisis-is-a-supply-problem-that-needs-supply-solutions/