Report: Affordable Housing a Crisis Nationwide

According to data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, no U.S. state or metro area has an ‘adequate supply’ of housing for the lowest-income households.

1 minute read

April 25, 2022, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Houston, Texas

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area is one of the country's least affordable for extremely low-income families. | Jez Campbell / Shutterstock

A report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) assesses the availability of affordable housing units in various states, placing Texas close to the bottom of the list with 29 units for every extremely 100 low-income households, compared to the national average of 36. According to the NLIHC, “no state or metropolitan area has an ‘adequate supply of rental housing for the lowest-income renters.’”

As reported by Chandler France, “Nationwide, there’s a shortage of more than 7 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income households, defined as those at or below 30% of the area median income.” The worst housing shortage can be found in the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise metropolitan area, where only 13 affordable units exist for every 100 extremely low-income households. 

Focusing on Texas, France notes: “Of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country, three of the top 10 metros with the most severe housing shortages are in Texas, the report shows.” Texas’s worst affordable housing shortage is in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area. “The Southeast Texas metro also has the largest gap between the number of these earners and the number of affordable units for them, with a shortage of 173,455 homes.”

Friday, April 22, 2022 in Beaumont Enterprise

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A group of officials stand in a patch of dirt holding golden shovels and white hardhats.

California city breaks ground on transit connector

The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.

3 hours ago - Mass Transit

People walking by a brick school in Cambridge.

After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker

Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.

4 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

A rendering of the park, with green grass and a bass sculpture that looks like several tall arches in a row.

40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park

The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.

5 hours ago - Block Club Chicago