How many households in spend too much on housing?

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About 5.69 million households were cost-burdened in 2024. That's 42.4% 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.

5.69M

California households were cost burdened in 2024

42.4%

of California households were cost burdened in 2024
The number of cost-burdened households in California increased from 5.45M in 2014 to 5.69M in 2024. 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 2024, 42.4% of California households were cost burdened, higher than the national average of 33%.

In California, 42.4% of households were cost burdened in 2024.

Share of households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2005-2024

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.

What is the difference in housing cost burden for renters versus homeowners in California? How does this compare to the US overall?

Since 2014, the proportion of cost-burdened owner households in California has decreased from 33.4% to 32.2% in 2024. Meanwhile, cost burden decreased from 56.8% to 55.8% among renter households. In California, the cost-burdened share owner households was higher and the cost-burdened share of renter households was higher than the national average in 2024.

In California, 55.8% of renter households and 32.2% of owner households were cost burdened in 2024.

Share of households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2005-2024

How high is cost burden for renters in California cities compared to other US cities?

In 2020–2024, the share of owner households in metro areas that were cost burdened was 23.4%. (Metro areas are made up of a city with at least 50,000 people and the economically and socially interconnected counties.) The metro areas with the highest and lowest share of cost-burdened owner households were the Miami, FL area at 35.1% (highest) and Morgantown, WV area, at 13.2% (lowest).
Among the metros at least partially in California, the highest and lowest were Los Angeles, CA area at 34% and San Jose, CA area at 27.5%.

Across metro areas, 23.4% of owner households were cost burdened.

Share of owner households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2020–2024

In 2020–2024, the share of renter households in metro areas that were cost burdened was 51.8%. The metro areas in the US with the highest and lowest share of cost-burdened renter households were the Miami, FL area at 64.2% (highest) and the Sheboygan, WI area, at 34% (lowest). In California, the highest and lowest were Vallejo, CA area at 60.2% and San Jose, CA area at 45.1%.

Across metro areas, 51.8% of renter households were cost burdened.

Share of renter households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2020–2024

The difference between the cost-burdened share of owner and renter households was narrowest in San Jose, CA area, where cost burden was 17.6 percentage points higher among renters than owners, and highest in the Chico, CA area where the gap was 32.5 percentage points. Within California overall, the gap was 23.6 percentage points.

Cost-burdened households, California metro areas (2020–2024)

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within California

Cost-burdened households, California metro areas (2020–2024)

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.