22.7 million.

That’s how many renters are considered cost-burdened in the U.S., each spending more than 30% of their income to keep a roof over their heads, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies 2026 State of the Nation’s Housing report. It’s a record high, surging by 2.3 million since 2019. 

This year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition launched a 2025 national renter survey to home in on renters’ experiences. The survey was conducted between July and December 2025.

Here are four takeaways from the report for local government leaders. 

Low-income renters face heightened housing instability

It’s well documented that the affordable housing crisis impacts the nation’s lowest-income households the most. An estimated 11 million low-income households are competing for less than 4 million housing options within their price range, according to JCHS. 

The NLIHC survey details the instability such renters face, with one in five renters earning below $25,000 reporting moving at least three times in the past two years, compared with 7.1% of movers at or above that income level. 

Overall, about 30 million adult renters moved at least once in the past two years, the survey found, with 64% doing so just once.  

Many renters are hitting a wall with housing assistance

Nine in 10 renters receiving some form of housing assistance had incomes below $50,000, according to the survey.

“Housing assistance provided by federal, state, and local governments plays a critical role in keeping renters stably housed as rising rents remain out of reach for so many households,” the report states. 

However, around 5.7 million renters surveyed said they or someone in their household applied for housing assistance in the past two years and did not receive it. Among those who applied and did not receive assistance, 37.8% were denied assistance, 36.8% were put on a waitlist and 17.3% never heard back. More than 25% of renters who were denied assistance said they were never told why. Among renters given a reason, 76.5% were told it was because their household income was too high. 

The majority of renters who lost their housing assistance within the past two years said it was because the assistance was only available for a limited time. Only 15% of renters said they lost their assistance because they no longer needed it. 

The affordability crisis is creating an unaffordable loop for renters

The affordable housing crisis is creating a “rock and a hard place” situation for the nation’s renters, as unaffordable rents are cited as both a motivator to move and a reason to remain in place. Nearly 40% of renters who took steps to relocate in the past two years yet ultimately did not said their inability to afford their current rent was a motivating factor for wanting to move. Among those same renters, 70% said they ended up not moving because they could not find a more affordable option elsewhere. 

“Junk fees” are on the rise and impacting affordability

Among renters who rent from property management or rental companies, more than 76% said they incurred some form of additional “junk fee” as part of their rent, and 59% of those who rent from public housing authorities said the same. Examples of junk fees listed in the survey included convenience fees, pet-related charges, mandatory services and amenity and technology fees. 

In the last two years, more than one in every six renters said their households “always” or “often” struggle to pay rent on time, with Black or African American households disproportionately impacted.

“Alongside the rising costs of rent and utilities, renters are increasingly confronted with unexpected housing-related expenses,” NLIHC President and CEO Renee Willis said in a news release June 23. “Renters with low incomes, renters of color, renters with disabilities, and older renters often bear a disproportionate burden in navigating challenges and obtaining the resources needed to stably live.”