Study: Married People Struggle Least With Housing Costs

People living without a partner struggle more to afford housing costs in the United States, according to a study from Redfin summarized by Dana Anderson. “[F]or instance, a single Washington, D.C. renter pays nearly $12,000 more per year than someone splitting the rent.”

Almost 70 percent of single, divorced, or separated people have a hard time paying their rent or mortgage, compared to 52 percent of married people. However, “More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents who live with their partner but aren’t married struggle with housing payments, making them the group most likely to struggle.”

This points to a need for a more diverse housing stock that caters to the needs of all types of households. According to Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather, “Married couples make up a smaller and smaller share of U.S. households, so it’s important to include single people living alone or with roommates when examining ways to ease the affordability crisis. People who aren’t yet married, or aren’t interested in getting married or living with a partner, often have to make more sacrifices to cover their housing costs than their coupled-up counterparts, which is one reason the government should consider zoning for single-room housing, like dormitories, and ADUs.”