Why This Measure Matters​

Housing cost burden is a key reflection of housing affordability and availability in a community, as well as how stably housed renters are.

When households pay more than 30% of their income on shelter, also known as housing cost burden, they struggle to have adequate remaining income for other essential needs such as healthy food, childcare, healthcare, transportation, and emergency savings.

What’s the Story?​

As rent increases outpace household income, rates of housing cost burden also go up. Skagit County’s housing cost burden increased from 44.1% in 2017 to a recent high of 58.8% in 2022. As incomes have increased and rent increases have slowed the rate of housing cost burden has come back down over the last two reporting years: 52.3% in 2023 and 46.6% in 2024.

Housing cost burden has an approximate margin of error of 5%. The target is for the rate of local housing cost burden to decrease annually beyond the margin of error.

Target

The target is for the rate of local housing cost burden to decrease annually beyond the margin of error.

Reporting Frequency​

Annually