Rent Burden in the Housing Choice Voucher Program

Abstract

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is designed to help low-income households consume housing at an acceptable burden on their income. The incidence of high housing cost in the program has been reduced over the past few years. About 38 percent of all households in the program spend more than 31 percent of their income on housing, down from 47 percent only 2 years earlier. A high housing cost burden appears to stem from very low income rather than from market conditions or decisions by program administrators. Despite program rules, a small percentage of households in the program pay a very high level of income toward housing. It appears that this problem results from some households having very little or no income at the time their housing consumption was recorded.