What does this measure?

The proportion of household income that goes toward monthly rent, utilities, and fuel, calculated by dividing median rent by median household income for renters.

Why is this important?

This figure indicates how affordable housing is for renters. The federal Housing and Urban Development Department guideline for affordability is that rent should consume no more than 30% of household income.

How is the region performing?

Region-wide, 32% of the median household income went to cover rent in 2017-21, greater than the national figure of 31% and the statewide (excluding NYC) figure of 28%. Most counties in the region had proportions that exceed the federal guideline for affordability, with Greene at 37%, Orange at 35%, and Ulster at 34%. In the region, the percent of household income going to rent was stable from 2012-2016 to 2017-21. Rates also were steady in most of the counties or remained flat during those periods, except in Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties, which saw a 5 point decrease from 2012-16 to 2017-21.

Localities with the highest proportion of rent spent on income were the town of Hunter at 97%, and the villages of Walden, Washingtonville, and Bloomingburg (62%, 60% and 54% respectively). The town of Lumberland had the lowest proportion of income that went to rent for Mid-Hudson Valley residents (13%). The populations in most other local areas were too small to yield reliable survey results.

Notes about the data

Multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Figures used in calculations are in 2015 dollars. Regional rates were calculated by weighting county medians based on share of population. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.