How many households in New Jersey spend too much on housing?
Updated annually
About 1.27M in 2024. That's 36.6% of all New Jersey 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.
1.27M
New Jersey households were cost burdened in 2024
36.6%
of New Jersey households were cost burdened in 2024
The number of cost-burdened households in New Jersey decreased from 1.3M in 2014 to 1.27M 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, 36.6% of New Jersey households were cost burdened, higher than the national average of 33%.
In New Jersey, 36.6% of households were cost burdened in 2024.
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.
Since 2014, the proportion of cost-burdened owner households in New Jersey has decreased from 35.5% to 28.2% in 2024. Meanwhile, cost burden decreased from 52.9% to 52.2% among renter households. In New Jersey, the cost-burdened share of owner households was higher and the cost-burdened share of renter households was higher than the national average in 2024.
In New Jersey, 52.2% of renter households and of owner households were cost burdened in 2024.
Share of renter households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2024
In 2019–2023, the share of owner households in metro areas that were cost burdened was 22.9%. (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 33.9% (highest) and Columbus, IN area, at 13% (lowest). Among the metros at least partially in New Jersey, the highest and lowest were New York, NY area at 32% and Allentown, PA area at 21.5%.
Across metro areas, 22.9 of owner households were cost burdened.
Share of owner households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2019–2023
In 2019–2023, the share of renter households in metro areas that were cost burdened was 51%. The metro areas in the US with the highest and lowest share of cost-burdened renter households were the Miami, FL area at 63.1% (highest) and the Sheboygan, WI area, at 31.9% (lowest). In New Jersey, the highest and lowest were Vineland, NJ area at 56.8% and Trenton, NJ area at 50.7%.
Across metro areas, 51% of renter households were cost burdened.
Share of renter households that spent at least 30% of their income on housing, 2019–2023
The difference between the cost-burdened share of owner and renter households was narrowest in New York, NY area, where cost burden was 19.8 percentage points higher among renters than owners, and highest in the Allentown, PA area where the gap was 29.9 percentage points. Within New Jersey overall, the gap was 24.1 percentage points.
Cost-burdened households, New Jersey metro areas (2019–2023)
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within New Jersey
| 1. | Trenton, NJ area | 50.7% |
| 2. | Vineland, NJ area | 56.8% |
| 3. | New York, NY area | 51.8% |
| 4. | Atlantic City, NJ area | 55.3% |
| 5. | Allentown, PA area | 51.4% |
| 6. | Philadelphia, PA area | 50.9% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
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.
