America's Housing Crisis, In Data
7.3M Homes Short.
22M Families Burdened.
See the Data.
Track housing affordability at the ZIP, metro, and state level. Calculators, dashboards, and data — all free, all public.
Affordable Home Shortage
🏚️7.3M
Units needed for lowest-income renters
Rent-Burdened Households
💸22M
12M severely burdened (>50% income)
Median Home Price
🏠$412K
Up 60% since 2019
Income to Buy
💰$110K+
Annual income needed for median home
30-Year Mortgage Rate
📈6.8%
Up from ~3% in 2021
Median Rent
🔑$1,850/mo
National median asking rent
Experiencing Homelessness
🏕️770K+
18% increase from 2023
Homeownership Gap
⚖️29 pts
White 74% vs Black 45%
Sources: NLIHC Gap Report 2024, Census ACS / Harvard JCHS 2025, Zillow ZHVI / FRED • Updated 2026-03-24
The Big Picture
Price-to-Income Ratio (1985–2025)
Median home price ÷ median household income. Historically 3-4× was "affordable."
Source: FRED MSPUS, Census ACS B19013
Rent Burden by Income Level
% of renters paying >30% (burdened) or >50% (severely burdened) of income on rent
Source: Census ACS, Harvard JCHS 2025
Explore
Can I Afford to Live Here?
Enter your income and see which metros and ZIPs you can afford.
📊Affordability Rankings
Best and worst metros, states, and ZIPs ranked by affordability score.
🏠Rent vs Buy Calculator
Should you rent or buy? Real local data for any metro.
👩🏫Essential Worker Index
Can a teacher, nurse, or firefighter afford to live where they work?
🏗️Housing Shortage Map
Where the shortage is worst — units needed vs units available.
📉Rent Burden Dashboard
Who's paying more than they can afford, and where.
🏦Mortgage Access
HMDA data: who gets approved, who gets denied, and the racial gap.
🏕️Homelessness & Housing
The connection between housing costs and homelessness.
📋Eviction Crisis
Eviction rates, risk scores, and tenant protections by area.
🗺️State Profiles
Affordability data for all 50 states with rankings and trends.
📝Analysis & Articles
Data-driven articles on the housing crisis, equity, and policy.
⚖️Metro Comparison
Compare affordability, rent, prices, and more across metros.
Housing is the defining economic crisis of our generation.
7.3 million homes short. 22 million families burdened. The data tells the story — what we do about it is up to us.