Housing Cost Burden in the City of Tucson and Pima County
More than 33% of Tucson households are housing cost burdened. According to the Making Action Possible (MAP) dashboard, housing cost burden reflects those households that pay greater than 30% of their income on housing costs. Historically, housing expenditures (including utilities) for both homeowners and renters that exceed 30 percent of a household’s income are considered cost burdened. This designation evolved from the United States National Housing Act of 1937. Households that are cost burdened are more likely to struggle to pay for other basic needs such as healthcare, childcare, transportation, and even food.
When comparing household tenure, renters are more likely than owners to be cost burdened. In the Tucson MSA during 2018, 22.4% of owners and 51.8% of renters were housing cost burdened. This was consistent with the state and the nation.
Housing Cost Burden among Homeowners
Although housing expenditures for homeowners include property taxes and homeowner's insurance premiums, property taxes for homeowners in Tucson are significantly lower than in other large cities across the country. According to a 2019 study, Tucson homeowners had the 6th lowest combined property tax bills for a median valued home, of the 50 largest U.S. cities in the study. This includes city, county, school district, and special district property taxes, combined.
What kind of cost burden does homeownership have on homeowners with mortgages in the City of Tucson and Pima County? The highest housing cost burden category in the 2018 5-year ACS data are those households that pay more than 35% of their income to housing costs. The map below shows the percentage of households in each Census tract that falls within this category. For example, 45.9% homeowners in Census tract 26.04 near Oracle and Prince, pay more than 35% of their income toward housing costs, one of the highest burdened areas in the city.
Select other cost burden categories from the drop-down menu to see how housing cost burden changes in your tract.
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Housing Cost Burden among Renters
How does renters' housing cost burden compare in the City of Tucson and Pima County? The highest housing cost burden category in the 2018 5-year ACS data are those households that pay more than 35% of their income to housing costs. The map below shows the percentage of renting households in each Census tract that fall within this category. For example, 87.1% of renting households in Census tract 44.23 (east of Picture Rocks) pay more than 35% of their income to housing costs, while only 13.1% of renting households have the same burden in Census tract 44.25 (on the west side of Picture Rocks).
Select other cost burden categories from the drop-down menu to see how housing cost burden changes in your tract.
Click here for Full Screen Map
For even more detailed analysis of housing cost burden in the Tucson MSA and a comparison to peer western MSAs, visit the MAP dashboard.
