Report: Housing Affordability a Problem in Almost All U.S. Counties

“Nearly half of all workers in the U.S. are not making enough to comfortably afford a one-bedroom apartment, according to a new report.” Writing in Route Fifty, Molly Bolan outlines the report’s findings, which indicate that housing affordability is an urgent problem in almost every U.S. community.

On average, a person working full time needs to make $23.67 an hour to afford a one-bedroom apartment or $28.58 an hour for a two-bedroom apartment, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual Out of Reach report.

A full-time minimum wage worker can only afford a market-rate one-bedroom apartment in seven U.S. counties—all located in states with higher-than-federal minimum wage. Bolan adds that “The gap between income and housing costs is especially large for renters of color. The study found that nationally the median wage for a full-time white worker is enough to cover the costs of a one-bedroom apartment, but the same can’t be said for Black and Latino workers.”

Bolan notes that the report comes on the heels of a congressional budget deal that is widely expected to lead to reductions in funding for housing programs.