Who lives in our housing? Part 2: working household

When people think about affordable housing, one of the most common assumptions is that residents are unemployed or primarily dependent on public assistance.

Our resident data tells a different story.

Nearly one in three households (33%) living in our multifamily apartment communities has employment income. For these households, the average annual earnings from employment are approximately $37,000.

Yet having a job doesn't necessarily mean housing is affordable.

Among households with employment income, one-third are still classified as Extremely Low Income, based on federal income guidelines. Even while working, many households simply don't earn enough to keep up with today's housing costs.

That's where affordable housing makes a difference.

On average, apartments in our communities rent for about $1,250 per month, but residents pay an average of $731 per month out of pocket. Rental assistance helps bridge the gap, allowing households to pay a rent that is affordable based on their income.

In fact, two-thirds of working households receive rental assistance. These are not households without jobs—they are workers whose wages alone are not enough to afford market-rate housing.

Our data also shows that many households rely on more than one source of income. About one-third of working households also receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In some cases, that reflects older adults who continue working after retirement. In others, it reflects households with more than one adult contributing to the family's finances, or people with disabilities who are able to work while receiving benefits.

The picture that emerges is one of resilience. Many residents are doing exactly what we often expect people to do: working, budgeting carefully, and combining multiple sources of income to make ends meet. Affordable housing provides the stability that allows those efforts to succeed.

Affordable housing is often described as a safety net. But for many of our residents, it's also a workforce support. It helps employees remain close to their jobs, enables older adults to continue contributing to their communities, and provides the stability families need to build a better future.

The next time you hear someone ask who lives in affordable housing, remember: many of the people who call our communities home are also the people who keep our communities running.