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Housing Affordability Matters: Unaffordable Rents Infographics Updated with 2022 Data
June 06, 2024:In 2019, SHADAC researchers performed an analysis using 2017 data to examine housing affordability, looking specifically at rental costs for various populations across the United States. ‘Unaffordable rents’ are defined as rental costs that require a household spend more than 30% of their income on rent.
The economic landscape throughout the United States has changed a lot since 2017, though, perhaps especially for housing costs. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pew Research Center analysts found that between 2017 and 2022 that the cost of all goods and services increased by about 16%. According to that same article, rent prices saw an even larger increase in almost all regions of the country with average rents rising:
- By 21% in the West
- By 20% in the South
- By 18% in the Midwest
- By 12% in the Northeast
SHADAC researchers wanted to update our Housing Affordability: Unaffordable Rents infographics with 2022 American Community Survey data to better understand the current housing landscape in the United States.
These infographics examine the US as a whole and highlight five individual states with some of the highest percentages of unaffordable rents in the country: California, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, and Texas. Researchers looked at overall unaffordable rents in each state, and with data broken down by household income, Medicaid enrollment, race/ethnicity, and disability status.
Affordable Housing and Health: What Is the Connection?
Housing affordability is a key social determinant of health - lack of affordable housing is a contributor to housing instability, homelessness, and cost burdens resulting in less income for other necessities (utilities, health care, food, etc.). Housing instability, cost burdens associated with housing, and homelessness are all strong predictors of higher health care costs and poor health outcomes, among others.1
Housing costs also affect where people can live, influencing housing factors like location, neighborhood, housing type (small apartment, large house, multifamily, unhoused, etc.), and more. Where people live can often predict other key factors and opportunities that influence health, including:2
- Access to health care services (or lack of access)
- Education
- Transportation
- Cost of services (healthcare, childcare, utilities, etc.)
- Community support
- Employment opportunities
- Food type, cost, and availability
By examining housing affordability in the United States, we can better understand where disparities exist and how these differences can impact health of varied communities, locations, and populations.
Housing Affordability Infographics
Below, you’ll find SHADAC’s Unaffordable Rents Infographics for the U.S. and five individual states. Click on the image of each one to enlarge.
| United States | California | Florida |
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| Nevada | New Jersey | Texas |
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Explore More Data on State Health Compare
While these infographics highlight five states, you can find housing affordability data for all 50 states by each breakdown on SHADAC’s State Health Compare tool. SHADAC’s State Health Compare tool compiles data and provides users with customized data sets and visualizations for a variety of measures. Along with unaffordable rents, you can explore other measures that can influence health, health care cost & access, and health outcomes, like:
Learn more about the estimates used in this analysis, as well as other measures related to social determinants of health, at State Health Compare.
[1] Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Social Determinants of Health: Housing Instability – Literature Summary. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/housing-instability
[2] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2022, June 29). Chart Book: Housing and Health Problems Are Intertwined. So Are Their Solutions. https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/housing-and-health-problems-are-intertwined-so-are-their-solutions
