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, presented for renters of various racial and ethnic groups.

Why is this important?

This figure indicates how affordable housing is for renters of different races and ethnicities. The federal Housing and Urban Development Department guideline for affordability is that rent should consume no more than 30% of household income. High housing costs can force households to choose between paying for housing and meeting other basic needs such as food, clothing and health care.

How is the region performing?

Rent consumed 31% of the income of both African American and White households and 32% of Hispanic and Asian households in 2020-24. The figure for African Americans was slightly lower than the state (excluding NYC) and nation (both 34%), while the Hispanic figure was the same as both the nation and the state. Median rents were slightly higher for Asians and Hispanics in the region at approximately $1,600, followed by over $1,500 for African Americans and Whites.

There were larger disparities in Dutchess County where rent consumed 41% of Asian household incomes, 36% of Hispanic and 32% of African American incomes compared to 28% of white household incomes.

Why do these disparities exist?

Historic and current policies and systems, from racist housing policies to employment discrimination to education systems that fail to equitably serve all populations, have prevented people of color from fully participating in our economy, locking them out of economic opportunity. This has resulted in lower incomes for people of color, which means housing costs are a greater burden. At the same time, housing costs are rising faster than incomes and affordable housing is limited.

Notes about the data

Multi-year data are from the Census Bureau s American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample. The American Community Survey combines five years of responses to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.