How many households in California spend too much on housing?
Data updated July 26, 2024
About 5.5 million in 2022. That’s 41.9% of all California 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,
5.5M
households were cost burdened
In 2022,
41.9%
of households were cost burdened
The number of cost-burdened households in California decreased from 5.7 million in 2012 to 5.5 million 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, 41.9% of California households were cost burdened, higher than the national average of 32.5%.
In California, 41.9% 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 California has decreased from 37.9% to 31.1% in 2022. Meanwhile, cost burden decreased from 57.6% to 56.0% among renter households.
In California, 56.0% of renter and 31.1% 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 from 2018 to 2022 were the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California metro area at 33.8% (highest) and Morgantown, West Virginia, at 12.8% (lowest).
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 San Jose, CA area, where cost burden was 17.5 percentage points higher among renters than owners, and highest in the Chico, CA area where the gap was 31.2 percentage points. Within the state overall, the gap was 24.9 percentage points.
Cost-burdened households, California metro areas (2018-2022)
| 1. | Bakersfield, CA area | 55.5% |
| 2. | Chico, CA area | 56.5% |
| 3. | El Centro, CA area | 54.1% |
| 4. | Fresno, CA area | 54.4% |
| 5. | Hanford, CA area | 45.8% |
| 6. | Los Angeles, CA area | 57.0% |
| 7. | Madera, CA area | 51.1% |
| 8. | Merced, CA area | 47.2% |
| 9. | Modesto, CA area | 52.5% |
| 10. | Napa, CA area | 53.2% |
