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Mapped: Where Americans Need Housing Assistance, by State

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Where Americans Need Housing Assistance, Ranked by State

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Key Takeaways

  • D.C. has the highest share of low-income renters on housing assistance: 72 per 1,000 residents. It’s followed by Puerto Rico (61) and Rhode Island (53).
  • In absolute numbers, the country’s four largest states—New York (1 million), California (919K), Texas (595K), and Florida (405K)—support the most renters.
  • All data as of 2024.

Housing costs keep climbing faster than wages in many parts of the U.S., putting extra pressure on low-income renters.

The visualization maps all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico by how many low-income renters receive federal housing assistance relative to their population.

Data is sourced from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research (HUD).

HUD’s 2024 estimates count more than 9 million Americans (27 per 1,000) currently receiving vouchers, public-housing units, or other subsidies.

Households typically pay 30% of their adjusted income (i.e. after taxes) as rent, and the government covers the rest.

Ranked: Americans Needing Rental Assistance, by State

D.C. stands out with 72 assisted renters per 1,000 residents.

That’s more than double the U.S. average of 27 and reflects both DC’s high housing costs, its population growth since 2000, and the limited growth in housing in the same time period.

Rank State Code # of People on
Housing Assistance
(2024)		 State Population # of People on
Housing Assistance
per 1,000 Residents
1 District of Columbia DC 50,389 702,250 72
2 Puerto Rico PR 196,165 3,203,295 61
3 Rhode Island RI 58,640 1,112,308 53
4 New York NY 1,000,730 19,867,248 50
5 Massachusetts MA 346,968 7,136,171 49
6 Connecticut CT 148,989 3,675,069 41
7 Mississippi MS 115,391 2,943,045 39
8 Louisiana LA 178,836 4,597,740 39
9 Alabama AL 175,759 5,157,699 34
10 Ohio OH 392,408 11,883,304 33
11 Vermont VT 21,313 648,493 33
12 Kentucky KY 150,525 4,588,372 33
13 Hawaii HI 47,342 1,446,146 33
14 Illinois IL 392,302 12,710,158 31
15 New Jersey NJ 289,801 9,500,851 31
16 Maryland MD 187,764 6,263,220 30
17 West Virginia WV 52,826 1,769,979 30
18 Maine ME 41,698 1,405,012 30
19 Minnesota MN 165,434 5,793,151 29
20 Pennsylvania PA 366,433 13,078,751 28
21 Arkansas AR 82,678 3,088,354 27
22 Tennessee TN 193,490 7,227,750 27
23 North Dakota ND 19,271 796,568 24
24 New Hampshire NH 33,811 1,409,032 24
25 Michigan MI 242,304 10,140,459 24
26 Missouri MO 147,635 6,245,466 24
27 California CA 918,612 39,431,263 23
28 Georgia GA 259,256 11,180,878 23
29 Oklahoma OK 92,093 4,095,393 22
30 South Carolina SC 122,225 5,478,831 22
31 Nebraska NE 44,628 2,005,465 22
32 Virginia VA 194,664 8,811,195 22
33 Oregon OR 93,896 4,272,371 22
34 Delaware DE 22,865 1,051,917 22
35 South Dakota SD 19,928 924,669 22
36 Washington WA 170,021 7,958,180 21
37 North Carolina NC 223,353 11,046,024 20
38 Indiana IN 137,552 6,924,275 20
39 Wisconsin WI 118,308 5,960,975 20
40 New Mexico NM 40,853 2,130,256 19
41 Alaska AK 14,146 740,133 19
42 Texas TX 595,361 31,290,831 19
43 Colorado CO 113,116 5,957,493 19
44 Iowa IA 60,330 3,241,488 19
45 Montana MT 20,172 1,137,233 18
46 Florida FL 405,398 23,372,215 17
47 Kansas KS 49,535 2,970,606 17
48 Nevada NV 50,441 3,267,467 15
49 Wyoming WY 8,663 587,618 15
50 Arizona AZ 85,458 7,582,384 11
51 Idaho ID 20,902 2,001,619 10
52 Utah UT 32,862 3,503,613 9
N/A U.S. USA 9,039,779 340,110,988 27

Puerto Rico places second at 61 per 1,000—a legacy of limited job opportunities and post-hurricane rebuilding needs—while Rhode Island rounds out the top three at 53.

One study found that a minimum wage worker in Rhode Island must work an 85-hour workweek to afford a standard two-bedroom apartment.

Related: Puerto Rico also has the highest share of residents on welfare. Rhode Island is 10th and DC is 12th.
States With the Fewest Americans on Housing Assistance

Roughly half of U.S. states cluster between 20 and 30 assisted renters per 1,000 residents.

This middle group includes Midwestern states like Minnesota (29) and Michigan (24) as well as fast-growing Sun Belt hubs such as Georgia (23).

At the lower end, Western states Idaho (10) and Utah (9) report the fewest recipients per 1,000 residents. Part of that gap reflects younger demographics and higher home-ownership rates.

Related: Idaho ranks 16th and Utah 18th by home ownership rates, both higher than 70%.

But the eligibility to qualify for federal rental assistance varies by county and household size. Low numbers can also signal unmet needs or where waitlists run long.

Americans On Housing Assistance by Pure Numbers

When we shift from per-capita rates to raw counts, America’s largest states unsurprisingly dominate.

New York alone supports one million low-income renters, roughly equal to the combined totals of the bottom 10 states.

California follows closely with 919,000 recipients, reflecting the state’s chronic affordability crunch. Texas (595,000) and Florida (405,000) also rank high—even though their per-capita rates sit near the national average.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Wondering how much money the HUD is paying out on average per renter? Check out Where Rent Subsidies Are Highest, by U.S. State on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Source
New York
America