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, 33% of the median household income went to cover rent in 2019-23, greater than the national figure of 31% and the statewide (excluding NYC) figure of 27%. Most counties in the region had proportions that exceed the federal guideline for affordability except for Greene at 28% and Sullivan at 29%, with Orange at 36%, Ulster at 35%, Putnam and Columbia at 32%, and Dutchess at 31%. In the region, the percent of household income going to rent increased 6 percentage points from 2009-2013 to 2019-23. Rates remained fairly steady in most of the counties between these periods, except in Greene, Putnam and Sullivan which all saw 6 point decreases from 2009-13 to 2019-23.

Localities with the highest proportion of rent spent on income were the village of Tivoli (91%), the villages of Kiryas Joel and New Paltz both at 60% and the Towns of New Paltz at 57% and Wawarsing at 56%. The towns of Jewett and Gallatin had the lowest proportion of income that went to rent for Mid-Hudson Valley residents (both at 14%). The populations in many 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 2023 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.