Characteristics of HUD-Assisted Renters and Their Units in 2017

Abstract

The 2017 American Housing Survey (AHS) included a supplemental survey of rental units receiving subsidies from programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau used addresses provided by HUD to identify other units in its regular AHS sample that are subsidized by HUD. Together, the 2017 AHS supplemental and regular samples contained 4,728 assisted units. This report uses information on those units to characterize the 4.5 million rental units assisted by HUD in 2017. In addition, this report uses information from previous address-matched efforts to analyze how the HUD-assisted rental stock has changed over the last three decades. From 1991 to 2017, the number of HUD-assisted units increased by 12 percent, or approximately 500,000 units. HUD’s program mix has changed substantially as the Housing Choice Voucher program expanded its share from 26 percent of the assisted stock in 1989 to 48 percent in 2017. Overall the HUD-assisted stock is in fairly good condition, with only 2.3 percent of units severely inadequate in 2017, about the same as unassisted units occupied by very low-income renters.