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Zillow Research

Financial Hardship Is Widespread, Especially for Households Earning Less Than $40,000

Nearly a third (30.0 percent) of households nationwide – meaning about 73 million adults— report they are struggling or just getting by financially, according to data from the Federal Reserve Board’s recently released 2016 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). More than half (51.3 percent) say they do not have enough funds saved to cover three months of living expenses.

For Many Low-Income Renters, Even Low-End Apartments Aren’t Affordable

In the 25 largest metro areas in the country, people with low incomes pay far more than 30 percent for rent. Even markets that were not historically out of reach now take a large chunk of low-income renters’ dollars. In Houston, the median low-income earner spends 65.1 percent of her income on the median bottom-tier rent. In Tampa, it’s 59.1 percent. In Philadelphia, 57.3 percent.