Northern Virginia has a worse housing burden for low-income families than any other U.S. metro area

The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in this Annandale complex is $1,800 a month.

Northern Virginia has the highest rate of severe housing burden among low-income households, compared to the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, state a new report.

According to “Unequal Burden” the latest report from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Insight Region Center for Community Research, 67 percent of Northern Virginians with low incomes (less than $50,000 a year for a family of four) are “severely burdened” by the cost of housing. 

Families in that category spend over half of their income on rent, mortgage, taxes, fees, and basic utilities.

The report also finds Northern Virginia has the sixth-highest rate of housing burden among moderate-income households ($50,000 to $100,000 for a family of four). Over half of the households in that category (59 percent) cannot afford their homes, and 19 percent spend over half of their income on housing. 

In other key findings:

• Severe housing burden is not spread evenly throughout the region: The areas with the most severe burden (over 75 percent) are in North Arlington, Lorton-southeast Centreville, and McLean-Idylwood. The lowest burden is in Leesburg-western Loudoun County. 
• In the Annandale-Falls Church area, 67 percent of low-income households and 15 percent of moderate-income households have a severe housing burden. In Fairfax County, those percentages are 68 and 20, respectively.  
• Racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant communities experience severe housing burdens at higher rates in Northern Virginia and across the nation than other populations. Over half (57 percent) of severely housing-burdened households and individuals were non-white and 47 percent were immigrants.
• Occupations that experience severe housing burden at the highest rates are predominantly in roles deemed essential during COVID-19, including teachers, construction workers, retail salespersons, drivers, and restaurant staff.
• Seniors account for 23 percent of severely housing-burdened households in Northern Virginia.

“In the short-term,” the report states, “families experiencing severe housing burden will likely need to cut corners elsewhere – eating less, asking a relative for help watching their children, delaying medical care, or skipping a payment – and many will be pushed into needing public or informal assistance.” 

While this situation is temporary for some households, “many will struggle for a lifetime, limiting their ability to achieve a higher quality of life for their families, constraining their children’s economic mobility, and concentrating disadvantage in our most vulnerable and marginalized populations,” the report says. 

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Northern Virginia is an expensive place to live; a family with two working adults needs an annual income of $94,000 just to pay for basic housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and childcare. Most residents – 65 to 75 percent – earn enough to support those basic needs. 

However, in 2019, 67 percent of the region’s low-income households (those earning less than 200 percent of federal poverty level) spent more than half of their gross income on housing. Just 13 percent had a sufficient income to afford their monthly housing costs. 

For moderate-income households, Northern Virginia had the sixth-highest rate among the 50 largest metro areas, with only New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose having higher rates. 

“Unequal Burden” blames the problem on two key factors: an inadequate supply of affordable housing and a wage structure that doesn’t keep up with the cost of living. 

Significant increases in home prices have driven more higher-income households to remain in the rental market. That has led to a dramatic increase in rents. 

To address the problem, the report recommends such short-term solutions as poverty relief and emergency assistance for food, medicine, internet access, and childcare, as well as rental assistance. 

Longer-term solutions include the preservation and expansion of affordable housing along with strategies to support long-term economic mobility and wealth creation through education and employment; an increased focus on racial justice, equity, and alleviating intergenerational poverty; and stabilizing small businesses, including landlords, during the pandemic.