Public housing statistics - featured image

25 Mind-Blowing Public Housing Statistics

By Blog

Many people think that public housing has been a failure, but these views come from those who don’t live in public housing. An average American who works full time on a minimum wage cannot afford a one-bed apartment in any of the US states.

Are you planning to buy a house? Yes? Here is great news for you; public housing statistics show a significant increase in the trend of affordable housing.

Fascinating Public Housing Stats (Editor’s Choice)

  • Over 2 Million people are living in public housing.
  • More than 900,000 people who live in public housing are between the ages of 18 & 61.
  • An average annual income of a public housing resident is $14,500.   
  • Approximately 327,000 residents living in public housing are above the age of 62 and above.
  • NYC housing authority has the largest no. of public houses with 178,458 units.
  • 43% of the public housing projects have children in households.
  • 48% of public housing projects are black families.

US Housing Data

1. Over 127 Million households are there in the US.

(Statista)

In the year 2018, there are 127.59 million households in the country. This number has increased significantly from the year 1960. Back then, there were only 52.8 million houses in the US. 

2. The US homebuilding declined after a 12 year high. 

(CNBC)

The trend has suddenly experienced a fall after being on the rise for 12 years. However, for the 4th straight month, the construction of single-family homes is on the rise. This indicates that the market is still well supported by low mortgage rates, even during slow economic times.

Public Housing Statistics by State

3. In the US, subsidies directly from the government cover less than 4% of the entire country’s stock. 

(Prospect)

Throughout the United States, the direct subsidies from the government only comprise less than 4% of the entire housing stock in the US. This is very low in contrast to Western Europe, where the ratio ranges from 15% to 40%. Only in Philadelphia, this rate is around 9%, and 1/3rd of that is reliant on housing vouchers. 

4. Housing Starts has retreated in September 2019

(TD)

The US housing stats have dropped by 9.4% in September 2019. Back in August 2019, the numbers surged by 15.1%. In October, the housing has risen by 3.8%, after a steep decline of 7.9% in September.

Federally Assisted Housing

5. The Federal government rental assistance programs enabled approx. 5 million low-income households.

(CBPP)

These programs rent housing at very affordable costs. They are geared towards assisting low-income households.

6. Almost half of these households are in urban localities.

(CBPP)

50% of these federally assisted households are present in the urban localities. The number has increased significantly in recent years. 

7. 31% of these households are in suburban areas.

(CBPP)

31% of the 5 million households are present in suburban neighborhoods. These numbers have increased quite steadily over the years.

8. Approximately 20% of 5 million are in rural localities.  

(CBPP)

20% or round fifth of the total households are present in the rural areas. This is where the numbers have shown the least amount of growth over the years. 

9. HUD housing rental assistance through federal rent subsidies has dropped by 13%.

(CBPP)

The rental assistance from HUD going to families with children has fallen by 13% since 2005. The HUD programs include rental assistance, public housing and vouchers, and other multi-family programs. 

Public housing statistics - suburban

Public Housing Statistics by Race

10. 48% of the public housing projects are black families  

(HUDUser)

48% of public households are black. This is substantially high as compared to the renter population. 

11. 10% of the Pubic Households are Hispanic.

(HUDUser)

10% of the public household belong to the Hispanic families, and it is very close to 11% of the families that run renter households. The non-Hispanic whites have 39% of public households. 

Public Housing Statistics by Age

12. 40% of public housing units are headed by individuals 65 or older

(HUDUser)

40% of the public housing units have been occupied by households that are led by individuals that are 65 or older, and most of them live alone. According to the research, 88% of them live alone. And more than half of them live in the projects that are explicitly designed for the elders.  

13. Households that have children cover 43% of public housing.

(HUDUser)

43% of the public housing projects have children in households. And about 56% of these households are households with single parents.

14. Households headed by disabled (non-elderly) people are 12%

(HUDUser)

12% of all the public housing projects are headed by disabled people that are not elderly.

Government Public Housing Statistics

15. Over 2 million people live in Public Housing. 

(Medium)

More than 2 million people are the residents of the federal government public housing programs. 16% of the seniors are part of these programs. 36% of the disabled people are signed up as well. 

16. The residents of these houses stay for more than 5 years. 

(Medium)

More than 49% of the residents of these Public Housing programs stay for more than five years. So these projects are more of a hit than a miss. 

17. More than 32,000 families will be ejected from the federal housing programs. 

(CityLab)

More than 32,000 families will be ejected from these programs, including Housing Vouchers, Rental Assistance, and Public Housing.

Low Income Housing Statistics

18. The cost-burdened households were 43.28 million in 2017.

(Statista)

In 2017, there were approx. 43.28million cost-burdened households in the US . 

But what does “cost-burdened” mean?

When the housing cost increases to 30% of the income, a household is considered cost-burdened. 

19. 43% of non-homeowners said they cannot afford a home. 

(Statista)

More than 43% of the responders to the survey conducted by Statista noted that they are non-owners. The reason?

They cannot afford a home in the US anymore. 

20. In 2018 an average earner needed to spend more than 36% of their income on a median-priced house in the US.

(Statista)

In 2018, the average earners needed a bigger chunk of the earnings to invest in a house. This percentage has significantly increased since the past decade. 

21. Millennials are spending roughly 45% of their income on rent.  

(Statista)

In 2018, people between the ages of 22 and 30 were sending more than 45% of their income on rent. This number has also increased significantly from the past few years. 

22. The total number of low-income families in the US is 47.5 million.

(WorkingPoorFamilies)

The total number has reached 47.5 million in the country. It is expected to hit 50 million in the next few years. This is roughly equal to the people living in the states of Washington, California and Oregon combined. 

Public Housing Statistics - average income

Affordable Housing Statistics

23. 9% of the younger millennials bought homes between July  2017 and June 2018.

(Statista)

Statistics show that 9% of Millenials invested because they thought that housing was most affordable during this time period.. And the biggest obstacle was the down payment. Generation Z was mostly concerned about student fees. 

24. 46% of the people are willing to give up good quality schools and job opportunities to live in a better neighborhood. 

(Statista)

More than 41% of the people said they are willing to give up on good opportunities for jobs and quality education to live in a particular neighborhood. 

Public Housing Fraud Statistics

25. Over $1.2 billion is lost in public housing fraud, abuse, and waste.

(LexisNexis)

On an annual basis, more than $1.2billion is lost due to abuse, fraud, or waste. This has led to an increase in demand but a decrease in the public housing budgets. 

FAQ

What is the difference between public housing and Section 8 housing?

The US Housing & Urban Development Department runs many programs. These assist low-income families that have housing costs. Section 8 is for private housing. Public housing is for the government-sponsored housing projects for the entire developments.   

What percentage of housing is affordable?

It has been estimated that a household shouldn’t pay more than 30% of its income. 

Is public housing subsidized?

Yes, it is subsidized. Public housing is a program sponsored by the government to provide affordable housing opportunities to people. 

Why is public housing good?

Affordable housing can be very effective in reducing infectious diseases. It can also eradicate stress. With affordable housing, families have enough funds to spend on food and healthcare, even with tight budgets. These programs are most suitable for families with low-income. 

Key Takeaways

Public housing statistics show that the numbers have improved compared to previous years. However, the purchasing power of people has decreased. The economists are even predicting a recession in the coming years!

The government has planned to deal with the recession by only focusing on US Citizens by providing them with benefits and housing assistance. The immigrants will have to deal with rules that are being tightened every year. 

The declining housing market is affecting all states, races, income, and age groups. Most families cannot afford a house. 

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