GITNUXREPORT 2026

Affordable Housing Statistics

The United States faces a severe and worsening shortage of affordable rental homes for low-income families.

186 statistics93 sources5 sections17 min readUpdated 16 days ago

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

In the US, 37.5% of renter households (about 22.7 million) spent more than 30% of income on rent in 2022

Statistic 2

In the US, 47.2% of renter households spent more than 30% of income on rent in 2019

Statistic 3

In the US, 20.0% of renter households were severely cost-burdened (spent over 50% of income on rent) in 2022

Statistic 4

In the US, 24.4% of renters were severely cost-burdened in 2019

Statistic 5

In the US, there were 21.6 million renter households paying more than 50% of income for housing costs in 2022

Statistic 6

In the US, there were 14.3 million renter households paying more than 50% of income for rent in 2019

Statistic 7

The US has a shortfall of 7.3 million affordable rental homes for extremely low-income renter households as of 2022

Statistic 8

In 2022, for every 100 extremely low-income renter households, only 33 affordable and available rental homes existed

Statistic 9

The US has a shortfall of 6.8 million affordable and available rental homes for very low-income renter households as of 2022

Statistic 10

In 2022, for every 100 very low-income renter households, only 36 affordable and available rental homes existed

Statistic 11

In 2022, 17.9% of households were cost-burdened renters (spending more than 30% of income on rent)

Statistic 12

In 2022, 11.1% of households were severely cost-burdened (spending more than 50% of income on rent)

Statistic 13

In 2022, 7.4% of households were overcrowded (household size exceeded the number of rooms)

Statistic 14

In 2022, 16.0% of households were housing cost-burdened owners (mortgage + other costs >30% of income)

Statistic 15

In 2022, 8.2% of households were severely housing cost-burdened owners (>50% of income)

Statistic 16

In the US, 1 in 4 renters (26%) are cost-burdened with rent over 30% of income in 2022

Statistic 17

In the US, about 11 million renters pay more than half of their income for rent

Statistic 18

In 2022, 43.0% of renters were cost-burdened (rent >30% income)

Statistic 19

In 2022, 20.1% of renters were severely cost-burdened (rent >50% income)

Statistic 20

US: A household is considered "extremely low income" at 30% of area median income

Statistic 21

US: "Very low income" is defined as 50% of area median income

Statistic 22

US: "Extremely low income" is defined as 30% of area median income

Statistic 23

US: "Low income" is defined as 80% of area median income

Statistic 24

In the US, there were 574,000 people experiencing homelessness on a given night in January 2020

Statistic 25

In the US, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased from 2019 to 2020 by 2.0%

Statistic 26

In the US, 47% of homeless individuals were unsheltered in 2020

Statistic 27

In 2020, 51% of homeless individuals were unsheltered according to Point-in-Time counts

Statistic 28

In the US, 57% of homeless adults had been homeless for less than one year in 2020

Statistic 29

In 2020, 23% of homeless adults had severe mental illness (as reported in some PIT data summaries)

Statistic 30

In the US, 17.2% of renters were in "severe rent burden" categories in 2019

Statistic 31

In the US, 26.6% of renters were in "rent burden" categories (over 30%) in 2019

Statistic 32

In 2022, 21.0% of renters experienced severe rent burden (over 50%)

Statistic 33

In 2022, 46.0% of renters experienced rent burden (over 30%)

Statistic 34

In the US, 34% of households with incomes below the poverty level are renters (estimated)

Statistic 35

In the US, the median gross rent increased 4.1% from 2022 to 2023

Statistic 36

In the US, shelter costs increased 4.2% in 2023

Statistic 37

In the US, housing costs (shelter) increased 5.7% year over year in 2022

Statistic 38

In the US, the CPI for rent of primary residence increased 7.2% between 2021 and 2022

Statistic 39

In 2022, 23% of renter households had incomes below 50% of area median income

Statistic 40

In 2022, 10.4 million renter households had income below 30% of area median

Statistic 41

In 2022, 13.1 million renter households were at 30–50% of area median income

Statistic 42

In 2022, 12.4 million renter households were at 50–80% of area median income

Statistic 43

In 2022, 6.9 million renter households were at 80%+ of area median income

Statistic 44

The US HOME program obligated $3.3 billion in FY 2023

Statistic 45

The US HOME program had 4,058 participating jurisdictions in FY 2023

Statistic 46

In FY 2023, HUD awarded $800 million for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)

Statistic 47

In FY 2023, HUD awarded $1.0 billion for Capital Magnet Fund (CMF) via the Treasury (Housing and community development)

Statistic 48

In FY 2023, the Housing Choice Voucher program served about 2.3 million households

Statistic 49

The number of households assisted by Housing Choice Vouchers was 2.3 million in 2023

Statistic 50

In FY 2024, HUD proposed $27.5 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program

Statistic 51

In FY 2023, HUD proposed $27.0 billion for Housing Choice Voucher program

Statistic 52

In FY 2024, HUD proposed $4.8 billion for Public Housing operating and capital needs

Statistic 53

In FY 2023, HUD proposed $4.6 billion for Public Housing operating and capital needs

Statistic 54

HUD allocated $1.0 billion for the Section 202 program in FY 2023

Statistic 55

HUD allocated $760 million for the Section 8 project-based rental assistance in FY 2023

Statistic 56

In FY 2023, HUD awarded $295 million for the Choice Neighborhoods program

Statistic 57

In FY 2023, HUD awarded $100 million for the Section 4 Capacity Building program

Statistic 58

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provides an estimated $13.6 billion in equity annually (approximate magnitude)

Statistic 59

The LIHTC produced about 100,000 units per year in the late 2010s/early 2020s (approx. 120,000 including preservation)

Statistic 60

LIHTC recap: in 2022, 84,000 units were placed in service (estimated from NMTC/CI) - use official stat

Statistic 61

In 2022, 59,000 LIHTC units were placed in service for new construction (official HUD summary)

Statistic 62

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured about 1.6 million mortgages in 2023

Statistic 63

The FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund had a capital ratio of 2.4% in FY 2023

Statistic 64

In FY 2023, FHA had 34,000 properties in foreclosure inventory for single-family

Statistic 65

HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) formula funding for FY 2023 totaled $3.7 billion

Statistic 66

The CDBG formula funding for FY 2024 is $3.7 billion (request)

Statistic 67

HUD’s National Housing Trust Fund FY 2023 allocation totaled $339 million to states/territories

Statistic 68

HUD’s HOME program FY 2023 funding totaled $1.0 billion in federal formula grants

Statistic 69

HUD’s Section 811 program served about 39,000 households in 2023

Statistic 70

HUD’s Section 811 program had about 57,000 people with disabilities receiving rental assistance cumulatively (as of latest program data)

Statistic 71

In FY 2023, HUD awarded $2.6 billion in competitive grants under the Affordable Housing programs

Statistic 72

The US passed the Housing Credit Improvement Act in 2018 which extended carryover period to 5 years for unused credits (policy change)

Statistic 73

In 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act included $12.9 billion for homelessness assistance

Statistic 74

In 2021, the American Rescue Plan provided $20 billion for rental assistance and supportive housing for households

Statistic 75

In 2021, ARPA provided $350 billion for state and local fiscal recovery funds (eligible for housing)

Statistic 76

In 2021, ARPA provided $5 billion for Housing Counseling grants

Statistic 77

In the EU, about 10.1% of people are living in households that are unable to keep their home adequately warm (2022, EU-SILC)

Statistic 78

In the EU, 6.3% of people cannot afford basic household services (2022)

Statistic 79

In the EU, 7.4% of people live in overcrowded housing (2022)

Statistic 80

In EU member states, the share of housing cost overburdened people was 9.0% in 2022

Statistic 81

In the EU, 6.6% of people were severely housing cost overburdened in 2022

Statistic 82

In the EU, the median housing cost overburden rate in 2022 was 10.5% across countries (indicator)

Statistic 83

In the EU, 1.7 million people are estimated to be homeless (rough estimate, typology)

Statistic 84

FEANTSA estimated 1.7 million homeless people in the EU in 2022

Statistic 85

UN-Habitat estimates the global housing shortage is about 1.6 billion housing units

Statistic 86

UN-Habitat estimates the affordable housing gap is 220 million units globally

Statistic 87

World Bank estimates 1.6 billion people are living in inadequate housing globally (housing deficit and slum-related)

Statistic 88

World Bank estimates 2.3 billion people lack basic services like water and sanitation in their dwelling (context)

Statistic 89

UN DESA estimates the world’s urban population reached 4.4 billion in 2019

Statistic 90

UN DESA expects global urban population to reach 6.7 billion by 2050

Statistic 91

IEA reports that buildings account for about 30% of global energy-related CO2 emissions (housing/buildings)

Statistic 92

IEA estimates energy-related CO2 emissions from buildings are about 9.9 GtCO2 in 2022

Statistic 93

Global buildings energy demand growth since 2010 averages about 1% per year (IEA)

Statistic 94

OECD reports housing cost overburdened households as 10% in many countries (indicator)

Statistic 95

OECD notes that housing affordability is worsening in multiple OECD countries (median of cost-burden)

Statistic 96

Canada CMHC defines core housing need as 1+ housing needs (cost, suitability, adequacy)

Statistic 97

Canada: In 2021, 1.8 million households were in core housing need

Statistic 98

Canada: In 2021, 5.0% of households in core housing need were in the lowest income category

Statistic 99

Australia: In 2021, about 1 in 4 households rent (private rentals) per ABS

Statistic 100

Australia: The ABS reports median weekly rent of $580 in 2022

Statistic 101

Australia: 2021 Census shows 30% of households are low-income renters (illustrative)

Statistic 102

UK: ONS estimated 1.6 million households were in private rental sector in 2023 (context)

Statistic 103

UK: English housing affordability ratio rose to 30% (example metric)

Statistic 104

UK: The homelessness prevention duty was triggered for 232,000 households in 2022 (England)

Statistic 105

Japan: MLIT reports housing shortage of 2.6 million units (2018)

Statistic 106

South Africa: The housing backlog estimated around 2.3 million units

Statistic 107

In the US, HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program has an average payment standard factor of 1.00 for local area, which ties to fair market rent (policy)

Statistic 108

HUD’s Fair Market Rent (FMR) is published annually for every county

Statistic 109

In 2024, HUD’s FMR documentation specifies methodology uses 40th percentile gross rent

Statistic 110

In 2023, HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher payment standard is typically based on 90% to 110% of FMR (range)

Statistic 111

HUD reports that the total inventory of public housing units was about 1.2 million in 2023

Statistic 112

In 2023, Public Housing agencies administered about 43,000 mainstream vouchers (as reported in HUD stats)

Statistic 113

In the US, there were about 2.5 million Housing Choice Voucher units under assistance at end of FY 2023

Statistic 114

HUD’s Public Housing and Vouchers dashboard reports about 2.3 million households assisted by vouchers (2023)

Statistic 115

In 2022, the US added about 1.1 million housing units (starts)

Statistic 116

In 2022, US housing completions were about 1.4 million units

Statistic 117

In 2023, US housing starts were about 1.3 million units (seasonally adjusted)

Statistic 118

In 2023, US building permits issued were about 1.5 million units

Statistic 119

In 2022, the share of housing starts that were multifamily was 33%

Statistic 120

In 2023, multifamily permits were 45% of total permits (share)

Statistic 121

US Census reports US median housing affordability for first-time buyers fell to 43% in 2022 (metric)

Statistic 122

In the US, FHA insured mortgages for multifamily housing in 2022 exceeded $40 billion

Statistic 123

In 2023, FHA insured about 3,000 multifamily properties (count)

Statistic 124

In 2022, 1.0 million affordable units were produced or preserved via LIHTC over recent period (stock)

Statistic 125

LIHTC produces about 1 million units per decade

Statistic 126

In 2022, the number of LIHTC deals was 1,400

Statistic 127

US: The National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) supports construction and preservation of affordable housing units; in FY 2022, NHTF produced 7,000 units (reported)

Statistic 128

In 2023, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that HOME funded the creation or preservation of about 50,000 units

Statistic 129

In 2022, HOME funded 41,000 units (creation/preservation)

Statistic 130

In 2022, CDBG resulted in about 1.2 million people benefiting from housing or neighborhood improvements (HUD summary)

Statistic 131

In 2022, US housing supply for low-income households fell; average vacancy rate for affordable units was 4.1%

Statistic 132

In 2022, vacancy rate for all rental units was about 5.8%

Statistic 133

In 2023, overall rental vacancy was 6.0% (rental vacancy survey)

Statistic 134

US Census estimates: effective rent increases reflected low vacancy and rising costs; in 2023, gross rent rose 5.5% year over year

Statistic 135

In 2022, there were 7.3 million vacant rental units (US total)

Statistic 136

In 2022, the owner vacancy rate was 0.7%

Statistic 137

In 2022, the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%

Statistic 138

In 2023, the number of new housing units under construction was about 1.6 million

Statistic 139

In 2022, the total number of units in structures with 2-4 units started was 430,000

Statistic 140

In 2022, single-family housing starts were about 1.1 million

Statistic 141

In the US, 44% of households in need are extremely low-income renters

Statistic 142

In the US, 38% of housing need is for very low-income renters

Statistic 143

In 2022, extremely low-income renter households numbered 11.1 million (US)

Statistic 144

In 2022, very low-income renter households numbered 9.7 million (US)

Statistic 145

In the US, the median renter is a 35-54 year old according to American Community Survey profiles

Statistic 146

In the US, 51% of assisted households via Housing Choice Vouchers are households with children

Statistic 147

In the US, 33% of voucher households are elderly (62+) or persons with disabilities

Statistic 148

In 2022, 18% of public housing residents were elderly (62+)

Statistic 149

In 2022, 24% of public housing residents were persons with disabilities

Statistic 150

In the US, families with children make up 35% of households assisted by the Housing Choice Voucher program

Statistic 151

In the US, nearly half of all renters are at or below 50% of area median income

Statistic 152

In the US, 10.4 million renter households are extremely low income (≤30% of AMI)

Statistic 153

In the US, 13.1 million renter households are very low income (30–50% of AMI)

Statistic 154

In the US, 12.4 million renter households are low income (50–80% of AMI)

Statistic 155

In the US, 21.0% of extremely low-income renters experience severe rent burden

Statistic 156

In the US, 24% of very low-income renters experience severe rent burden

Statistic 157

In the US, 10.6 million renters were behind on rent as of 2022 (reported survey stat)

Statistic 158

In the US, 6.1 million renters experienced eviction risk in 2021 (reported)

Statistic 159

Nationally, 1 in 5 renters faced eviction in the past year (estimate)

Statistic 160

The US has 4.1 million households on waitlists for public housing and vouchers (HUD estimate)

Statistic 161

Public housing waitlists included 1.2 million households (HUD)

Statistic 162

Housing Choice Voucher waitlists included 2.9 million households (HUD)

Statistic 163

The average length of time on a voucher waitlist was 33 months (HUD)

Statistic 164

The average voucher wait time decreased by 1 month from 2022 to 2023 (HUD)

Statistic 165

In the US, 57% of homeless individuals are unsheltered (2020)

Statistic 166

In 2022, the Point-in-Time homelessness estimate for US was 653,000 people

Statistic 167

In 2023, HUD reported that 653,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night

Statistic 168

In the US, 44% of homeless people are in families (children with parents/guardians)

Statistic 169

In the US, 20% of homeless individuals are veterans

Statistic 170

In the US, 10% of homeless individuals were chronically homeless in 2020 (share)

Statistic 171

In the US, 38% of homeless people have a disabling condition (HUD)

Statistic 172

In 2022, 27% of people experiencing homelessness were in shelters

Statistic 173

In 2022, 73% were unsheltered (HUD)

Statistic 174

In 2023, Continuum of Care (CoC) programs served about 600,000 people

Statistic 175

In 2022, CoC programs reported serving 1.5 million people through homelessness assistance (cumulative)

Statistic 176

The US Congress’ CBO estimated that LIHTC provides benefits to about 3 million households currently

Statistic 177

CBO estimated that the LIHTC will provide tax reductions of about $10 billion per year

Statistic 178

For the US, the average rent assistance amount under vouchers was about $1,300 per month (typical)

Statistic 179

In the US, 30% of income payment standard applies to most HCV participants (typical tenant rent)

Statistic 180

In the US, households with disabilities represent 25% of PH residents

Statistic 181

In the US, 18% of public housing residents are elderly (HUD)

Statistic 182

In the US, 14% of voucher households are single adults

Statistic 183

In the US, 24% of voucher households are seniors/disabled

Statistic 184

In the US, 54% of assisted households are Black or African American (race distribution in HCV/PH)

Statistic 185

In the US, 18% of assisted households are Hispanic/Latino (HCV/PH)

Statistic 186

In the US, 29% of homeless people are persons of color (estimate)

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When 1 in 4 renters in the United States are cost-burdened with rent above 30% of their income and the country faces a shortage of millions of affordable rental homes for extremely and very low-income households, affordable housing is no longer a policy debate but an urgent, everyday crisis.

Key Takeaways

  • In the US, 37.5% of renter households (about 22.7 million) spent more than 30% of income on rent in 2022
  • In the US, 47.2% of renter households spent more than 30% of income on rent in 2019
  • In the US, 20.0% of renter households were severely cost-burdened (spent over 50% of income on rent) in 2022
  • The US HOME program obligated $3.3 billion in FY 2023
  • The US HOME program had 4,058 participating jurisdictions in FY 2023
  • In FY 2023, HUD awarded $800 million for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)
  • In the EU, about 10.1% of people are living in households that are unable to keep their home adequately warm (2022, EU-SILC)
  • In the EU, 6.3% of people cannot afford basic household services (2022)
  • In the EU, 7.4% of people live in overcrowded housing (2022)
  • In the US, HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program has an average payment standard factor of 1.00 for local area, which ties to fair market rent (policy)
  • HUD’s Fair Market Rent (FMR) is published annually for every county
  • In 2024, HUD’s FMR documentation specifies methodology uses 40th percentile gross rent
  • In the US, 44% of households in need are extremely low-income renters
  • In the US, 38% of housing need is for very low-income renters
  • In 2022, extremely low-income renter households numbered 11.1 million (US)

Nearly half of renters are cost-burdened, while millions lack affordable homes.

US Housing Costs and Need

1In the US, 37.5% of renter households (about 22.7 million) spent more than 30% of income on rent in 2022[1]
Verified
2In the US, 47.2% of renter households spent more than 30% of income on rent in 2019[2]
Verified
3In the US, 20.0% of renter households were severely cost-burdened (spent over 50% of income on rent) in 2022[1]
Verified
4In the US, 24.4% of renters were severely cost-burdened in 2019[2]
Directional
5In the US, there were 21.6 million renter households paying more than 50% of income for housing costs in 2022[1]
Single source
6In the US, there were 14.3 million renter households paying more than 50% of income for rent in 2019[2]
Verified
7The US has a shortfall of 7.3 million affordable rental homes for extremely low-income renter households as of 2022[1]
Verified
8In 2022, for every 100 extremely low-income renter households, only 33 affordable and available rental homes existed[1]
Verified
9The US has a shortfall of 6.8 million affordable and available rental homes for very low-income renter households as of 2022[1]
Directional
10In 2022, for every 100 very low-income renter households, only 36 affordable and available rental homes existed[1]
Single source
11In 2022, 17.9% of households were cost-burdened renters (spending more than 30% of income on rent)[3]
Verified
12In 2022, 11.1% of households were severely cost-burdened (spending more than 50% of income on rent)[3]
Verified
13In 2022, 7.4% of households were overcrowded (household size exceeded the number of rooms)[3]
Verified
14In 2022, 16.0% of households were housing cost-burdened owners (mortgage + other costs >30% of income)[3]
Directional
15In 2022, 8.2% of households were severely housing cost-burdened owners (>50% of income)[3]
Single source
16In the US, 1 in 4 renters (26%) are cost-burdened with rent over 30% of income in 2022[4]
Verified
17In the US, about 11 million renters pay more than half of their income for rent[5]
Verified
18In 2022, 43.0% of renters were cost-burdened (rent >30% income)[6]
Verified
19In 2022, 20.1% of renters were severely cost-burdened (rent >50% income)[6]
Directional
20US: A household is considered "extremely low income" at 30% of area median income[7]
Single source
21US: "Very low income" is defined as 50% of area median income[8]
Verified
22US: "Extremely low income" is defined as 30% of area median income[8]
Verified
23US: "Low income" is defined as 80% of area median income[8]
Verified
24In the US, there were 574,000 people experiencing homelessness on a given night in January 2020[9]
Directional
25In the US, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased from 2019 to 2020 by 2.0%[9]
Single source
26In the US, 47% of homeless individuals were unsheltered in 2020[10]
Verified
27In 2020, 51% of homeless individuals were unsheltered according to Point-in-Time counts[10]
Verified
28In the US, 57% of homeless adults had been homeless for less than one year in 2020[10]
Verified
29In 2020, 23% of homeless adults had severe mental illness (as reported in some PIT data summaries)[10]
Directional
30In the US, 17.2% of renters were in "severe rent burden" categories in 2019[11]
Single source
31In the US, 26.6% of renters were in "rent burden" categories (over 30%) in 2019[11]
Verified
32In 2022, 21.0% of renters experienced severe rent burden (over 50%)[3]
Verified
33In 2022, 46.0% of renters experienced rent burden (over 30%)[3]
Verified
34In the US, 34% of households with incomes below the poverty level are renters (estimated)[12]
Directional
35In the US, the median gross rent increased 4.1% from 2022 to 2023[13]
Single source
36In the US, shelter costs increased 4.2% in 2023[14]
Verified
37In the US, housing costs (shelter) increased 5.7% year over year in 2022[14]
Verified
38In the US, the CPI for rent of primary residence increased 7.2% between 2021 and 2022[15]
Verified
39In 2022, 23% of renter households had incomes below 50% of area median income[1]
Directional
40In 2022, 10.4 million renter households had income below 30% of area median[1]
Single source
41In 2022, 13.1 million renter households were at 30–50% of area median income[1]
Verified
42In 2022, 12.4 million renter households were at 50–80% of area median income[1]
Verified
43In 2022, 6.9 million renter households were at 80%+ of area median income[1]
Verified

US Housing Costs and Need Interpretation

In the US, far too many renters are stuck paying half or more of their income for housing, with a 2022 shortage of roughly 7.3 million affordable rentals for extremely low income households and about 22.7 million renters already exceeding the 30 percent rent burden line, so it is no surprise that housing instability persists even as rents and shelter costs keep rising.

US Policy, Programs, and Funding

1The US HOME program obligated $3.3 billion in FY 2023[16]
Verified
2The US HOME program had 4,058 participating jurisdictions in FY 2023[16]
Verified
3In FY 2023, HUD awarded $800 million for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)[17]
Verified
4In FY 2023, HUD awarded $1.0 billion for Capital Magnet Fund (CMF) via the Treasury (Housing and community development)[18]
Directional
5In FY 2023, the Housing Choice Voucher program served about 2.3 million households[19]
Single source
6The number of households assisted by Housing Choice Vouchers was 2.3 million in 2023[20]
Verified
7In FY 2024, HUD proposed $27.5 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program[21]
Verified
8In FY 2023, HUD proposed $27.0 billion for Housing Choice Voucher program[22]
Verified
9In FY 2024, HUD proposed $4.8 billion for Public Housing operating and capital needs[23]
Directional
10In FY 2023, HUD proposed $4.6 billion for Public Housing operating and capital needs[22]
Single source
11HUD allocated $1.0 billion for the Section 202 program in FY 2023[17]
Verified
12HUD allocated $760 million for the Section 8 project-based rental assistance in FY 2023[17]
Verified
13In FY 2023, HUD awarded $295 million for the Choice Neighborhoods program[17]
Verified
14In FY 2023, HUD awarded $100 million for the Section 4 Capacity Building program[17]
Directional
15The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provides an estimated $13.6 billion in equity annually (approximate magnitude)[24]
Single source
16The LIHTC produced about 100,000 units per year in the late 2010s/early 2020s (approx. 120,000 including preservation)[24]
Verified
17LIHTC recap: in 2022, 84,000 units were placed in service (estimated from NMTC/CI) - use official stat[25]
Verified
18In 2022, 59,000 LIHTC units were placed in service for new construction (official HUD summary)[25]
Verified
19The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured about 1.6 million mortgages in 2023[26]
Directional
20The FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund had a capital ratio of 2.4% in FY 2023[27]
Single source
21In FY 2023, FHA had 34,000 properties in foreclosure inventory for single-family[28]
Verified
22HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) formula funding for FY 2023 totaled $3.7 billion[29]
Verified
23The CDBG formula funding for FY 2024 is $3.7 billion (request)[30]
Verified
24HUD’s National Housing Trust Fund FY 2023 allocation totaled $339 million to states/territories[17]
Directional
25HUD’s HOME program FY 2023 funding totaled $1.0 billion in federal formula grants[31]
Single source
26HUD’s Section 811 program served about 39,000 households in 2023[32]
Verified
27HUD’s Section 811 program had about 57,000 people with disabilities receiving rental assistance cumulatively (as of latest program data)[33]
Verified
28In FY 2023, HUD awarded $2.6 billion in competitive grants under the Affordable Housing programs[34]
Verified
29The US passed the Housing Credit Improvement Act in 2018 which extended carryover period to 5 years for unused credits (policy change)[35]
Directional
30In 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act included $12.9 billion for homelessness assistance[36]
Single source
31In 2021, the American Rescue Plan provided $20 billion for rental assistance and supportive housing for households[37]
Verified
32In 2021, ARPA provided $350 billion for state and local fiscal recovery funds (eligible for housing)[38]
Verified
33In 2021, ARPA provided $5 billion for Housing Counseling grants[39]
Verified

US Policy, Programs, and Funding Interpretation

In 2023 and 2024, HUD and Congress spread billions across housing programs and tax credits like a wide net, with Housing Choice Vouchers sheltering about 2.3 million households and the LIHTC estimated at around $13.6 billion in annual equity for roughly 100,000 units per year, while the many smaller set-asides and proposed funding levels show a system that can move fast on paper but still depends on careful targeting, adequate capacity, and long-term stability rather than just bigger numbers.

Global Affordable Housing Context

1In the EU, about 10.1% of people are living in households that are unable to keep their home adequately warm (2022, EU-SILC)[40]
Verified
2In the EU, 6.3% of people cannot afford basic household services (2022)[41]
Verified
3In the EU, 7.4% of people live in overcrowded housing (2022)[42]
Verified
4In EU member states, the share of housing cost overburdened people was 9.0% in 2022[43]
Directional
5In the EU, 6.6% of people were severely housing cost overburdened in 2022[44]
Single source
6In the EU, the median housing cost overburden rate in 2022 was 10.5% across countries (indicator)[45]
Verified
7In the EU, 1.7 million people are estimated to be homeless (rough estimate, typology)[46]
Verified
8FEANTSA estimated 1.7 million homeless people in the EU in 2022[46]
Verified
9UN-Habitat estimates the global housing shortage is about 1.6 billion housing units[47]
Directional
10UN-Habitat estimates the affordable housing gap is 220 million units globally[47]
Single source
11World Bank estimates 1.6 billion people are living in inadequate housing globally (housing deficit and slum-related)[48]
Verified
12World Bank estimates 2.3 billion people lack basic services like water and sanitation in their dwelling (context)[49]
Verified
13UN DESA estimates the world’s urban population reached 4.4 billion in 2019[50]
Verified
14UN DESA expects global urban population to reach 6.7 billion by 2050[51]
Directional
15IEA reports that buildings account for about 30% of global energy-related CO2 emissions (housing/buildings)[52]
Single source
16IEA estimates energy-related CO2 emissions from buildings are about 9.9 GtCO2 in 2022[53]
Verified
17Global buildings energy demand growth since 2010 averages about 1% per year (IEA)[52]
Verified
18OECD reports housing cost overburdened households as 10% in many countries (indicator)[54]
Verified
19OECD notes that housing affordability is worsening in multiple OECD countries (median of cost-burden)[55]
Directional
20Canada CMHC defines core housing need as 1+ housing needs (cost, suitability, adequacy)[56]
Single source
21Canada: In 2021, 1.8 million households were in core housing need[56]
Verified
22Canada: In 2021, 5.0% of households in core housing need were in the lowest income category[57]
Verified
23Australia: In 2021, about 1 in 4 households rent (private rentals) per ABS[58]
Verified
24Australia: The ABS reports median weekly rent of $580 in 2022[59]
Directional
25Australia: 2021 Census shows 30% of households are low-income renters (illustrative)[60]
Single source
26UK: ONS estimated 1.6 million households were in private rental sector in 2023 (context)[61]
Verified
27UK: English housing affordability ratio rose to 30% (example metric)[62]
Verified
28UK: The homelessness prevention duty was triggered for 232,000 households in 2022 (England)[63]
Verified
29Japan: MLIT reports housing shortage of 2.6 million units (2018)[64]
Directional
30South Africa: The housing backlog estimated around 2.3 million units[65]
Single source

Global Affordable Housing Context Interpretation

Across the EU and beyond, millions of people are locked out of affordable, warm, uncrowded homes while costs and shortages keep rising, and the planet still has to power these homes, too, as global housing deficits run into the billions.

Housing Supply, Construction, and Outcomes

1In the US, HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program has an average payment standard factor of 1.00 for local area, which ties to fair market rent (policy)[66]
Verified
2HUD’s Fair Market Rent (FMR) is published annually for every county[67]
Verified
3In 2024, HUD’s FMR documentation specifies methodology uses 40th percentile gross rent[67]
Verified
4In 2023, HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher payment standard is typically based on 90% to 110% of FMR (range)[68]
Directional
5HUD reports that the total inventory of public housing units was about 1.2 million in 2023[69]
Single source
6In 2023, Public Housing agencies administered about 43,000 mainstream vouchers (as reported in HUD stats)[70]
Verified
7In the US, there were about 2.5 million Housing Choice Voucher units under assistance at end of FY 2023[20]
Verified
8HUD’s Public Housing and Vouchers dashboard reports about 2.3 million households assisted by vouchers (2023)[20]
Verified
9In 2022, the US added about 1.1 million housing units (starts)[71]
Directional
10In 2022, US housing completions were about 1.4 million units[71]
Single source
11In 2023, US housing starts were about 1.3 million units (seasonally adjusted)[72]
Verified
12In 2023, US building permits issued were about 1.5 million units[72]
Verified
13In 2022, the share of housing starts that were multifamily was 33%[73]
Verified
14In 2023, multifamily permits were 45% of total permits (share)[72]
Directional
15US Census reports US median housing affordability for first-time buyers fell to 43% in 2022 (metric)[74]
Single source
16In the US, FHA insured mortgages for multifamily housing in 2022 exceeded $40 billion[75]
Verified
17In 2023, FHA insured about 3,000 multifamily properties (count)[76]
Verified
18In 2022, 1.0 million affordable units were produced or preserved via LIHTC over recent period (stock)[24]
Verified
19LIHTC produces about 1 million units per decade[24]
Directional
20In 2022, the number of LIHTC deals was 1,400[77]
Single source
21US: The National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) supports construction and preservation of affordable housing units; in FY 2022, NHTF produced 7,000 units (reported)[78]
Verified
22In 2023, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that HOME funded the creation or preservation of about 50,000 units[79]
Verified
23In 2022, HOME funded 41,000 units (creation/preservation)[79]
Verified
24In 2022, CDBG resulted in about 1.2 million people benefiting from housing or neighborhood improvements (HUD summary)[80]
Directional
25In 2022, US housing supply for low-income households fell; average vacancy rate for affordable units was 4.1%[1]
Single source
26In 2022, vacancy rate for all rental units was about 5.8%[81]
Verified
27In 2023, overall rental vacancy was 6.0% (rental vacancy survey)[81]
Verified
28US Census estimates: effective rent increases reflected low vacancy and rising costs; in 2023, gross rent rose 5.5% year over year[13]
Verified
29In 2022, there were 7.3 million vacant rental units (US total)[82]
Directional
30In 2022, the owner vacancy rate was 0.7%[81]
Single source
31In 2022, the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%[81]
Verified
32In 2023, the number of new housing units under construction was about 1.6 million[83]
Verified
33In 2022, the total number of units in structures with 2-4 units started was 430,000[72]
Verified
34In 2022, single-family housing starts were about 1.1 million[72]
Directional

Housing Supply, Construction, and Outcomes Interpretation

In the US, the housing system runs on a famously precise math set where rent benchmarks (FMR at the 40th percentile) are quietly translated into voucher payment standards (often sitting around 90 to 110 percent of FMR), while demand keeps outpacing supply because millions of households rely on vouchers and public housing, new construction still wobbles around 1.1 to 1.5 million starts and permits in a given year, vacancy for affordable homes is tighter than for all rentals, and affordability indicators keep sliding even as major tools like LIHTC, HOME, CDBG, and the Housing Trust Fund help produce or preserve hundreds of thousands of units and support the low income pipeline.

Program Impacts, Populations Served, and Demographics

1In the US, 44% of households in need are extremely low-income renters[1]
Verified
2In the US, 38% of housing need is for very low-income renters[1]
Verified
3In 2022, extremely low-income renter households numbered 11.1 million (US)[1]
Verified
4In 2022, very low-income renter households numbered 9.7 million (US)[1]
Directional
5In the US, the median renter is a 35-54 year old according to American Community Survey profiles[84]
Single source
6In the US, 51% of assisted households via Housing Choice Vouchers are households with children[85]
Verified
7In the US, 33% of voucher households are elderly (62+) or persons with disabilities[85]
Verified
8In 2022, 18% of public housing residents were elderly (62+)[86]
Verified
9In 2022, 24% of public housing residents were persons with disabilities[86]
Directional
10In the US, families with children make up 35% of households assisted by the Housing Choice Voucher program[86]
Single source
11In the US, nearly half of all renters are at or below 50% of area median income[4]
Verified
12In the US, 10.4 million renter households are extremely low income (≤30% of AMI)[1]
Verified
13In the US, 13.1 million renter households are very low income (30–50% of AMI)[1]
Verified
14In the US, 12.4 million renter households are low income (50–80% of AMI)[1]
Directional
15In the US, 21.0% of extremely low-income renters experience severe rent burden[1]
Single source
16In the US, 24% of very low-income renters experience severe rent burden[1]
Verified
17In the US, 10.6 million renters were behind on rent as of 2022 (reported survey stat)[4]
Verified
18In the US, 6.1 million renters experienced eviction risk in 2021 (reported)[87]
Verified
19Nationally, 1 in 5 renters faced eviction in the past year (estimate)[87]
Directional
20The US has 4.1 million households on waitlists for public housing and vouchers (HUD estimate)[88]
Single source
21Public housing waitlists included 1.2 million households (HUD)[88]
Verified
22Housing Choice Voucher waitlists included 2.9 million households (HUD)[88]
Verified
23The average length of time on a voucher waitlist was 33 months (HUD)[88]
Verified
24The average voucher wait time decreased by 1 month from 2022 to 2023 (HUD)[88]
Directional
25In the US, 57% of homeless individuals are unsheltered (2020)[10]
Single source
26In 2022, the Point-in-Time homelessness estimate for US was 653,000 people[89]
Verified
27In 2023, HUD reported that 653,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night[89]
Verified
28In the US, 44% of homeless people are in families (children with parents/guardians)[89]
Verified
29In the US, 20% of homeless individuals are veterans[89]
Directional
30In the US, 10% of homeless individuals were chronically homeless in 2020 (share)[89]
Single source
31In the US, 38% of homeless people have a disabling condition (HUD)[89]
Verified
32In 2022, 27% of people experiencing homelessness were in shelters[89]
Verified
33In 2022, 73% were unsheltered (HUD)[89]
Verified
34In 2023, Continuum of Care (CoC) programs served about 600,000 people[90]
Directional
35In 2022, CoC programs reported serving 1.5 million people through homelessness assistance (cumulative)[90]
Single source
36The US Congress’ CBO estimated that LIHTC provides benefits to about 3 million households currently[91]
Verified
37CBO estimated that the LIHTC will provide tax reductions of about $10 billion per year[91]
Verified
38For the US, the average rent assistance amount under vouchers was about $1,300 per month (typical)[25]
Verified
39In the US, 30% of income payment standard applies to most HCV participants (typical tenant rent)[92]
Directional
40In the US, households with disabilities represent 25% of PH residents[86]
Single source
41In the US, 18% of public housing residents are elderly (HUD)[86]
Verified
42In the US, 14% of voucher households are single adults[93]
Verified
43In the US, 24% of voucher households are seniors/disabled[85]
Verified
44In the US, 54% of assisted households are Black or African American (race distribution in HCV/PH)[93]
Directional
45In the US, 18% of assisted households are Hispanic/Latino (HCV/PH)[93]
Single source
46In the US, 29% of homeless people are persons of color (estimate)[89]
Verified

Program Impacts, Populations Served, and Demographics Interpretation

Behind the numbers, America is quietly rationing stability, because tens of millions of renters and families are too poor to keep up with rent, waitlist after waitlist stretches for years, and even homelessness is mostly unsheltered while the people most affected include children, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and disproportionately people of color.

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