What does this measure?

The proportion of household income that goes toward monthly rent, utilities and fuel, calculated by dividing median rent by median household income for renters, presented for renters of various racial and ethnic groups.

Why is this important?

This figure indicates how affordable housing is for renters. The federal Housing and Urban Development Department guideline for affordability is that rent should consume no more than 30% of household income.

How is our county performing?

In 2014-18, racial and ethnic minorities in Berks County typically paid a larger proportion of their income on rent than white residents did. The proportion was 37% for African Americans, 40% for Hispanics and 46% for Asian Americans, compared to 29% for whites. While racial and ethnic disparities existed at the state and national levels as well, renters in all groups in Berks County paid a larger proportion of their income on rent than in Pennsylvania and the U.S.

Compared to Berks in 2014-18, Asian American renters spent less of their income on rent in all surrounding counties. Hispanics generally paid a smaller proportion of income on rent in all counties.

Notes about the data

Multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in January.

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