Almost three in four Americans who earn less than $50,000 are having some degree of trouble keeping up with their regular housing payments, according to a new survey from Redfin — and some are making far-reaching lifestyle changes to keep a roof over their heads.
Per Redfin’s survey, conducted by Ipsos in September, some 74% of U.S. residents earning under that threshold reported they “sometimes,” “regularly,” or “greatly” struggle to afford recurring mortgage or rent payments. Forty-three percent of people have reported eating at restaurants less often to afford paying for housing, which isn’t a life-changing adjustment.
But 25% say they’ve had to borrow from family or friends to pay for their monthly housing payments, and 24% say they’ve skipped meals to cover residential expenses. Twenty-three percent have sold belongings to cover their payments, and 21% have delayed or skipped medical treatment. Twenty-one percent have worked additional hours of shifts, while 15% percent have worked a side hustle.
Moreover, among the youngest homeowners and renters, the share of those straining their finances to pay for housing surged. About 71% of adult Gen Zers, the highest share of any generation, say they struggle to some degree to afford regular mortgage or rent payments. Millennials, at 65%, aren’t far behind.
Twenty-one percent of Gen Zers and 23% of millennials who were struggling to pay monthly housing bills have skipped meals to cover residential costs.
Redfin noted that such struggles reflect large recent increases in shelter costs. Most people who earn less than $50,000 are renters, and while rent prices over the past year have leveled out, they remain roughly 20% higher than pre-pandemic norms. The cost of buying has increased even further, with median U.S. home prices up more than 40% since pre-COVID. According to a Redfin study in September, while buying a median-priced starter home in the U.S. is less expensive than it was one year ago, a household still needs to earn $77,000 per year to afford one.