Forum on Child and Family StatisticsHousing Problems
Housing that is inadequate, crowded, or too costly can pose serious problems to children's physical, psychological, and material well-being.1, 2, 3 Housing cost burdens, especially at high levels, are a risk factor for negative outcomes for children and their caregivers, including eviction and homelessness, overcrowded housing, frequent moving, degraded physical and mental health, poor nutrition, lack of supervision while parents are at work, and low cognitive achievement.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
In 2024, a record 148,200 children were estimated to be homeless at a single point in time, and 7% of these children were unsheltered.9 The percentage of households with children that report that they are living in physically inadequate,10 crowded, or costly housing provides insight into the impact of economic factors on housing choices and children's well-being.
Indicator PHY5.A Percentage of households with children ages 0–17 that reported housing problems by type of problem, selected years 2001–2023
NOTE: Data are available biennially since 2001. All data are weighted using the decennial Census that preceded the date of their collection. The comparability of data over time is limited by questionnaire changes in 2007 and a redesign and new longitudinal sample drawn in 2015.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, American Housing Survey. Tabulated by Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- In 2023, 39% of U.S. households with children ages 0–17 had one or more of the following housing problems: physically inadequate housing, crowded housing, or housing cost burden (i.e., expenditures on housing and utilities that were greater than 30% of household income). This percentage increased from 36% in 2001 but is not statistically different from the percentage in 2021.11
- In 2023, 5% of households with children had physically inadequate housing (i.e., housing with severe or moderate physical problems). This percentage is not statistically different from the percentage in 2021 (6%).
- In 2023, 33% of households with children experienced housing cost burden. This percentage is greater than the percentage in 2001 (29%) but not statistically different from the percentage in 2021.
Indicator PHY5.B Percentage of households with children ages 0–17 that reported severe housing cost burden, selected years 2001–2023
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, American Housing Survey. Tabulated by Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- In 2023, 15% of households with children experienced severe housing cost burden (i.e., expenditures on housing and utilities that were greater than 50% of household income). This percentage is not statistically different from the percentage in 2021.
- Among very-low-income renter households12 with children, 54% experienced severe housing cost burden in 2023. This percentage increased substantially from 38% in 2001 but is not statistically different from the percentage in 2021 (53%).
1 Breysse, P., Farr, N., Galke, W., Lanphear, B., Morley, R., & Bergofsky, L. (2004). The relationship between housing and health: Children at risk. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(15), 1583–1588. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1247625/
2 Bess, K. D., Miller, A. L. & Mehdipanah, R. (2022). The effects of housing insecurity on children's health: a scoping review. Health Promotion International, 38(3), Article daac006. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daac006
3 Solari, C. D., & Mare, R. D. (2012). Housing crowding effects on children's wellbeing. Social Science Research, 41(2), 464–476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2011.09.012
4 Clair, A., Loopstra, R., Reeves, A., McKee, M., Dorling, D., & Stuckler, D. (2016). The impact of housing payment problems on health status during economic recession: A comparative analysis of longitudinal EU SILC data of 27 European states, 2008–2010. SSM-Population Health, 2, 306–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2016.05.006
5 Grewal, A., Hepburn, K. J., Lear, S. A., Adshade, M., & Card, K. G. (2024). The impact of housing prices on residents' health: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article 931. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18360-w
6 Cutts, D. B., Meyers, A. F., Black, M. M., Casey, P. H., Chilton, M., Cook, J. T., Geppert, J., Ettinger de Cuba, S., Heeren, T., Coleman, S., Rose-Jacobs, R., & Frank, D. A. (2011). U.S. housing insecurity and the health of very young children. American Journal of Public Health, 101(8), 1508–1514. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300139
7 Newman, S., & Holupka, S. (2014). Housing affordability and child well-being. Housing Policy Debate, 24, 116–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2014.899261
8 Liu, Y., Njai, R. S., Greenlund, K. J., Chapman, D. P., & Croft, J. B. (2014). Relationships between housing and food insecurity, frequent mental distress, and insufficient sleep among adults in 12 U.S. states, 2009. Preventing Chronic Disease, 11, Article E37. http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.130334".
9 The estimate is based on a count of children, in family groups or as individuals, who during a single night in January either were using an emergency shelter, transitional housing services, or Safe Havens or were on the street or other places not intended for human habitation. See U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development. (2024). The 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, part 1: Point-in-time estimates of homelessness. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2024-AHAR-Part-1.pdf.
10 Physically inadequate units are defined as those with moderate or severe physical problems. Common types of problems include lack of complete plumbing for exclusive use; unvented room heaters as the primary heating equipment; and multiple upkeep problems, such as water leakage, open cracks or holes, broken plaster, or signs of rats. See definition of "housing adequacy" in Appendix A: Subject Definitions and Table Index of the American Housing Survey for the United States: 2023 (https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/2023/2023%20AHS%20Definitions.pdf)
11 For the housing problems indicator, the statistical significance of differences from year to year is determined at the 0.05 level of probability using standard methods. However, these methods are insufficient to determine conclusively whether changes are statistically significant because they do not fully account for the panel design of the American Housing Survey, in which selected housing units are revisited in subsequent years and therefore produce nonindependent samples.
12 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines "very low-income renters" as renter households with incomes at or below half the median family income, adjusted for family size, within their geographic area.
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
