Decreasing
What does this measure?
The share of rental housing units with people paying 30% or more of their income in rent.
Why is this important?
The federal government considers 30% of income a threshold for affordable housing. Renters paying more than 30% of their income in rent are considered cost-burdened and may struggle to afford other basic needs.
How is our region performing?
In 2017-21, 48% of rental units in the region had residents whose housing costs were above the affordability threshold. That was similar to the national share of 46% and slightly lower than the state share of 49%. The region's share declined 3 percentage points from 2012-16 to 2017-21, while the state and national shares each declined 1 percentage point.
Among the region's counties, Livingston and Monroe had the highest share of rental units with cost-burdened tenants in 2017-21, at 50%, followed by Ontario, at 45%. The share was lowest in Wyoming (33%). In the City of Rochester, 53% of rental units had cost-burdened residents.
Notes about the data
Multi-year figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.
2012-16 | 2017-21 | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NYS | 50% | 49% | |||||||||||||||||
NYS (excluding NYC) | 49% | 47% | |||||||||||||||||
Region | 51% | 48% | |||||||||||||||||
Monroe | 52% | 50% | |||||||||||||||||
Surrounding Counties | 46% | 43% | |||||||||||||||||
Rochester MSA | 51% | 49% | |||||||||||||||||
Genesee | 42% | 39% | |||||||||||||||||
Livingston | 48% | 50% | |||||||||||||||||
Ontario | 48% | 45% | |||||||||||||||||
Orleans | 48% | 42% | |||||||||||||||||
Seneca | 45% | 39% | |||||||||||||||||
Wayne | 48% | 43% | |||||||||||||||||
Wyoming | 38% | 33%* | |||||||||||||||||
Yates | 50%* | 38%* | |||||||||||||||||
Monroe County Suburbs | 46% | 46% | |||||||||||||||||
Monroe County Local Areas | |||||||||||||||||||
Regional Cities |
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.
2012-16 | 2017-21 | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NYS | 1,701,941 | 1,675,963 | |||||||||||||||||
NYS (excluding NYC) | 612,863 | 595,979 | |||||||||||||||||
Region | 78,688 | 76,112 | |||||||||||||||||
Monroe | 56,950 | 56,262 | |||||||||||||||||
Surrounding Counties | 21,738 | 19,850 | |||||||||||||||||
Rochester MSA | 72,873 | 70,829 | |||||||||||||||||
Genesee | 2,648 | 2,646 | |||||||||||||||||
Livingston | 3,075 | 2,858 | |||||||||||||||||
Ontario | 5,772 | 5,646 | |||||||||||||||||
Orleans | 1,912 | 1,728 | |||||||||||||||||
Seneca | 1,699 | 1,436 | |||||||||||||||||
Wayne | 4,080 | 3,557 | |||||||||||||||||
Wyoming | 1,468 | 1,201* | |||||||||||||||||
Yates | 1,084* | 778* | |||||||||||||||||
Monroe County Suburbs | 24,882 | 25,685 | |||||||||||||||||
Monroe County Local Areas | |||||||||||||||||||
Regional Cities |
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.



INDICATORS - Grouped by Topic | REGIONAL VALUE | YEAR | NYS COMPARISON | TREND | REGION |
---|---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $151,405 | 2017-21 |
1
![]() |
1
Increasing
|
Median Rental Prices | $936 | 2017-21 |
3
![]() |
-1
Decreasing
|
Housing Affordability for Homeowners | 2.3 | 2017-21 |
3
![]() |
0
Maintaining
|
Housing Affordability for Homeowners by Race/Ethnicity | 2017-21 | 0 | 10 Not Applicable* | |
Overall Housing Cost Burden | 28% | 2017-21 |
3
![]() |
-1
Decreasing
|
Housing Affordability for Renters | 32% | 2017-21 |
3
![]() |
10 Not Applicable* |
Rent Burdened Households | 48% | 2017-21 |
3
![]() |
-1
Decreasing
|
Housing Affordability for Renters by Race/Ethnicity | 2017-21 | 0 | 10 Not Applicable* | |
Homeownership Rate | 68% | 2017-21 |
3
![]() |
-1
Decreasing
|
Homeownership Rate by Race/Ethnicity | 2017-21 | 0 | 10 Not Applicable* | |
Vacant Housing Units | 9% | 2017-21 |
3
![]() |
1
Increasing
|
Homeless Persons | 0 | 10 Not Applicable* |


