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United States
Children living in households with a high housing cost burden in United States
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Why This Indicator Matters
Family income is only one factor of financial security; the cost of basic expenses also matters. Housing is typically one of the largest expenses that families face. Low-income families, in particular, are unlikely to be able to meet all of their basic needs if housing consumes nearly one-third or more of their income.
Definition and Source
PROVIDER
Definition
The share of children living in households where more than 30 percent of the monthly income was spent on rent, mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, and/or related expenses.
The 30 percent threshold for housing costs is based on research on affordable housing by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD). According to HUD, households that must allocate more than 30 percent of their income to housing expenses are less likely to have enough resources for food, clothing, medical care or other needs.
The 30 percent threshold for housing costs is based on research on affordable housing by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD). According to HUD, households that must allocate more than 30 percent of their income to housing expenses are less likely to have enough resources for food, clothing, medical care or other needs.
Data Source
Population Reference Bureau, analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 through 2019, 2021 American Community Survey.
Beginning in January 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau expanded the ACS sample to 3 million households (full implementation), and in January 2006 the ACS included group quarters. The ACS, fully implemented, is designed to provide annually updated social, economic, and housing data for states and communities. (Such local-area data have traditionally been collected once every ten years in the long form of the decennial census.)
Beginning in January 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau expanded the ACS sample to 3 million households (full implementation), and in January 2006 the ACS included group quarters. The ACS, fully implemented, is designed to provide annually updated social, economic, and housing data for states and communities. (Such local-area data have traditionally been collected once every ten years in the long form of the decennial census.)
Notes
Updated November 2022.
S - Estimates suppressed when the confidence interval around the
percentage is greater than or equal to 10 percentage points.
N.A. – Data not available.
Data are provided for the 50 most populous cities according to the most recent Census counts.
Cities for which data is collected may change over time.
A 90 percent confidence interval for each estimate can be found at Children living in households with a high housing cost burden.
S - Estimates suppressed when the confidence interval around the
percentage is greater than or equal to 10 percentage points.
N.A. – Data not available.
Data are provided for the 50 most populous cities according to the most recent Census counts.
Cities for which data is collected may change over time.
A 90 percent confidence interval for each estimate can be found at Children living in households with a high housing cost burden.
Last Updated
November 2022