How many households in Alabama spend too much on housing?
Data updated July 26, 2024
About 507K in 2022. That was 26.4% of all Alabama households. These households spent at least 30% of their total income on rent or mortgage payments and utilities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings.
Showing data for
In 2022,
507K
households were cost burdened
In 2022,
26.4%
of households were cost burdened
The number of cost-burdened households in Alabama decreased from 519 thousand in 2012 to 507 thousand in 2022. Cost burden considers both household income and housing costs, so factors affecting either of these can influence the number of burdened households. For example:
- Changes in wages, employment status, or the number of people in a household can impact household income.
- Changes in housing supply/demand or interest rates can affect costs.
A growing or declining US population can also affect the number of cost-burdened households. To counteract this, USAFacts analyzed the percentages of cost-burdened households rather than just the number. This prevents such population changes from skewing the data.
In 2022, 26.4% of Alabama households were cost burdened, lower than the national average of 32.5%.
In Alabama, 26.4% of households were cost burdened in 2022.
Share of households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing
Cost burden varies for renters and homeowners. For example, during the Great Recession (2007–2009) unemployment rose, millions of homes entered foreclosure, and rental demand increased. By 2010, cost burden had increased among renters while staying flat among homeowner households.
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Since 2012, the proportion of cost-burdened owner households in Alabama has decreased from 21.8% to 17.9% in 2022. Meanwhile, cost burden changed from 49.8% to 49.5% among renter households.
In Alabama, 49.5% of renter and 17.9% of owner households were cost burdened in 2022.
Share of households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing
The metro areas with the highest and lowest share of cost-burdened owner households were the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California metro area at 33.8% (highest) and Morgantown, West Virginia, at 12.8% (lowest). In Alabama, the highest and lowest were Daphne at 19.7% and Decatur at 13.9%.
Across metro areas, 22.7% of owner households were cost burdened.
Share of owner households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2018–2022
In 2018–2022, the share of renter households in metro areas that were cost burdened was 50.5%. The metro areas in the US with the highest and lowest share of cost-burdened renter households were the Greater Miami metro area at 62.6% (highest) and Appleton, Wisconsin, at 32.8% (lowest).
Across metro areas, 50.5% of renter households were cost burdened.
Share of renter households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2018–2022
The difference between the cost-burdened share of owner and renter households was narrowest in the Florence, AL area, where cost burden was 26.4 percentage points higher among renters than owners, and highest in the Auburn, AL area where the gap was 37.6 percentage points. Within the state overall, the gap was 31.6 percentage points.
Cost-burdened households, Alabama metro areas (2018-2022)
| 1. | Anniston, AL area | 45.7% |
| 2. | Auburn, AL area | 56.3% |
| 3. | Birmingham, AL area | 50.3% |
| 4. | Daphne, AL area | 50.7% |
| 5. | Decatur, AL area | 43.1% |
| 6. | Dothan, AL area | 44.9% |
| 7. | Florence, AL area | 42.4% |
| 8. | Gadsden, AL area | 47.3% |
| 9. | Huntsville, AL area | 42.5% |
| 10. | Mobile, AL area | 54.2% |
