Nevada's Severe Shortage of Rental Options for Lowest Income Families

Nevada's Shortage of Affordable Homes Worst in the Nation for Extremely Low Income Renters


A housing advocacy organization, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, released their annual affordable housing assessment, The Gap, March 20th.  In the State Comparisons table, Nevada is again lowest in the nation in the number of affordable units available to extremely low income renters at 19 per 100 households. The national average was 37 per 100. The data used in the report is from the Census Bureau's 2017 American Community Survey. Affordable housing was defined as housing costing less than 30% of household income.

For higher income threshholds Nevada also had high gaps. For households below 50% area median income Nevada was third lowest in the nation at 38 affordable and available units per 100 renter households, ahead of California at 31 per 100 and Florida at 36 per 100. The national average was 58 per 100 renter households. 

For households with income of 80% area median income or below there were 93 affordable homes available per 100 households as compared to the national average of 94 per 100. Nevada was tied for 10th lowest in availability with Colorado.

Nevada had a surplus of rental units affordable and available to households at median income or below at 104 units per 100, higher than the national average of 102 units per 100. 

To see the map and report go to the National Low Income Housing Coalition 2019 Gap Webpage.