Rental Housing

Rental housing is home to more than a third of US households, including a growing number of older and wealthier households. Our biennial America’s Rental Housing report and other publications analyze key trends and issues related to the changing nature of demand; the cost, character, and location of the stock; and the government policies that affect the supply of market-rate and subsidized units.

Reports & Papers

Cover of the paper "The Geography of Renter Financial Distress and Housing Insecurity During the Pandemic."

The Geography of Renter Financial Distress and Housing Insecurity During the Pandemic

January 25, 2023

Alexander Hermann, Sophia Wedeen, Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, Chris Herbert

Cover of the paper "The Potential for Supporting Low-Income Renters Through Transportation Spending Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Beyond."

The Potential for Supporting Low-Income Renters Through Transportation Spending Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Beyond

January 20, 2023

Yonah Freemark, Riordan Frost, Carlos Martín, Jorge Morales-Burnett, Francisco Montes

Cover of the paper "Digitalization and Housing Framing Paper for 'Bringing Digitalization Home: How Can Technology Address Housing Challenges?'"

Digitalization and Housing: Framing Paper for “Bringing Digitalization Home: How Can Technology Address Housing Challenges?”

October 24, 2022

David Luberoff, Chris Herbert

Cover of the paper "The Short-Term Benefits of Emergency Rental Assistance."

The Short-Term Benefits of Emergency Rental Assistance

June 14, 2022

Whitney Airgood-Obrycki

Interactives

2020 Cost Burden map

Renters Were Particularly Burdened in the First Year of the Pandemic

June 22, 2022

In 2020, the nationwide share of households paying over a third of their income for housing climbed...

Chart showing the breakdown of urban, suburban, and rural housing

The Cost and Type of Rental Housing Range Widely Across Community Types

January 21, 2022

Breakdown of urban, suburban, and rural rental units.

Blog

Peyton Whitney

Research Assistant

Number of Renters Burdened by Housing Costs Reached a Record High in 2021

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

In 2021, the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a record number of renters were cost-burdened, spending...

Alexander Hermann

Alexander Hermann

Research Associate

Renter Financial Distress Has Been Concentrated in High-Poverty Neighborhoods and Communities of Color

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Renter households have been disproportionately harmed by the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. But...