A recent analysis by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute shows 44.7% of all renters in D.C. are “rent burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. The statistics come from a one-year estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Rent burdening is even higher among people of color.
“Over 50% of Black renters in the District are facing rent burden,” co-author Mychal Cohen said. “Over 40% of Hispanic renters are rent burdened.”
Among white, non-Hispanic renters, the figure is 35.8%, according to policy institute’s analysis of five-year microdata files from the American Community Survey.
It’s perhaps more alarming that among low-income renters whose incomes are at or below $32,500 per year, 85.2% are rent burdened, and those renters are predominately Black.
While high housing prices affect every part of D.C., renters in Wards 7 and 8, which are predominantly Black, 53.8% and 57.1% of tenants, respectively, pay more than 30% of their incomes in rent.
The study also indicates even those with full-time jobs often can’t afford D.C. rent. More than one-third of renters who have full-time jobs working 40 hours a week are rent burdened, according to the analysis.
“The District is not doing enough to provide rent relief or provide affordable housing to these individuals with lower incomes,” Cohen said.
He criticized two pieces of legislation that, while framed as making the condition better for tenants, actually make it worse.
Cohen said the Emergency Rental Assistance Program Reform Amendment Act is not sufficient to address some of the most pressing issues facing renters.
And the mayor’s Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlord Act, or RENTAL Act, aims to speed up the time it takes to evict someone who is behind on their rent. Cohen said that legislation narrows the scope of the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, which gives tenants the first right to buy their building if it is offered for sale.
The DC Fiscal Policy Institute urged the mayor and D.C. Council to do more to make rent more affordable in the District.
Editor’s note: This story has been changed to correct the spelling of Mychal Cohen’s name.
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