Report: Dallas Has Just 6 Affordable Homes for Every 10 Middle-income Households

A report from the nonprofit Child Poverty Action Lab reveals that housing costs are becoming more unaffordable for Dallas residents, reports Joshua Fechter in The Texas Tribune.

“The city, the report found, faces a deep shortage of rental homes affordable to families making 50% of the area median income, $52,000 for a family of four, or less — and that shortage has grown at a blistering clip.” Dallas is short roughly 46,000 rental homes for households at or below that income level as of 2023, the report adds.

In other words, for every 100 households at the middle income level, Dallas has only 60 rental units they can afford. “Half of the city’s renters were considered “cost-burdened” in 2023, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on keeping a roof over their heads.” 

The report notes that the supply of units that rent for below $1,000 per month has “evaporated,” with the city losing 51,000 of those homes between 2021 and 2023. While the city added 8,400 new apartments in 2024, homebuilding has slowed in the region.