The average American renter spends 31.2% of their income on housing, an all-time high that’s exacerbated by the fact that more than 12 million people in the U.S. live in poverty despite working full-time. The coronavirus has deepened America’s housing crisis by leaving tens of millions without jobs and facing potential eviction.
Three things happened this summer to aggravate the situation even further. An emergency federal eviction moratorium expired; federal supplementary unemployment aid expired; and Congress failed to agree on another round of stimulus aid.
The result is a looming housing crisis, the size and severity of which is difficult to overstate. As many as 40 million renters could be at risk of eviction in the coming months, according to the Aspen Insitute. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently issued a nationwide moratorium on evictions through the end of 2020, but it comes with stipulations and requires struggling tenants to advocate for themselves.
Some states have created extra protections for renters, while many have not. Of the states that have their own state-mandated bans on evictions, many protections are ending soon. In many cases, however, the damage has already been done: Struggling American renters by midsummer had already amassed more than $21 billion in back rent. A crisis is brewing, and renters face different risks depending on where they live.
To determine the states with the most households at risk of eviction, Stacker analyzed data from global advisory firm Stout that provides estimates of the renting households unable to pay rent and at risk of eviction in every state based on the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey and Household Pulse Survey. We’ve ranked all 50 states and Washington D.C. according to the estimated share of renters in these states at risk of eviction over the next month. These estimates reflect the households with no or slight confidence that they will be able to pay rent. You can find more information about Stout’s methodology here.
Keep reading to see how many households are at risk of eviction in your home state.
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