The U.S. Housing Crisis: Millions of households spend more than half of their income on rent and mortgages

The housing affordability crisis in the United States has reached critical levels. According to recent reports from research centers such as the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). Almost half of renters in the country face an excessive housing cost burden, allocating more than 30% of their monthly income to cover rent and basic utilities.

Most alarmingly, more than 12 million households fall into the "severely burdened" category, meaning they spend more than 50% of their income just to keep a roof over their heads.

What are the key factors of this crisis?

• Disproportionate rent increases: Over the last decade, rental prices have grown at a rate far exceeding average wages, directly affecting states with the highest population growth.
• Shortage of affordable inventory: The lack of construction of multi-family and moderate-cost social housing has left millions of low- and middle-income families without viable options in the market.
• General inflationary pressure: The cumulative rise in the cost of food, energy, transportation costs, and insurance policies (a particularly heavy factor in states like Florida) drastically reduces the economic margin of households.
• Lagging wages: In the vast majority of states, the average wage for workers in the service, retail, and hospitality sectors is not enough to cover a one- or two-bedroom apartment under the traditional financial rule of allocating a maximum of 30% of income.

The impact on the working community

For working-class and Hispanic families, this financial mismatch forces complex decisions: from sharing housing between multiple family units and postponing financial goals, to sacrificing essential health and food expenses or facing a constant risk of housing instability.