Severe Rent Burden in Nevada

In Nevada in 2016 there were about 144,000 renter households with incomes $25,000 or less. For example, a single retiree with average Social Security benefits might be in this income group with benefits of $16,000 a year or perhaps a single mother making $18,000 as a gaming dealer in a casino.

When is the cost of rent so high for low income renter households like these that it can cripple their financial health? Of particular concern are low income families and individuals that pay over half of their income for rent and utilities. Such a household is experiencing severe rent burden. Households making less than $25,000 were particularly vulnerable to this threat to their financial health with 60% of such households paying more than half of their income for rent and utilities, leaving $1,000 or less a month to cover food, healthcare costs, transportation and other expenses.

Low income renter families making from $25,000 to $35,000 a year also experienced high rates of severe rent burden. In 2016 there were an estimated 69,000 renter families in this income category. Some examples of households in this group might be a retired couple with average Social Security benefits of $32,000 a year, a single parent working a job as a security guard making $29,000 a year or a married couple working minimum wage jobs making a combined $33,000 a year. Twenty-one percent of families making $25,000 to $35,000 a year also experienced severe rent burden.

For more about this topic see: Nevada Low Income Housing Database 

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2016 1-year estimates, Public Use Microdata Sample and calculations by author, Nevada Minimum Wage information from Minimum Wage, information on Social Security Benefits from OASDI Beneficiaries by State and ZIP Code, 2016.