The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a rent-burdened household as any household where rent costs make up 30% or more of household income. To be cost-burdened (sometimes called rent-burdened) presents a great challenge to a household’s ability to meet other needs, like food security, child care, and education. 

Rent-burden housing presents a significant challenge in communities across Louisiana, with a majority of renters in all but one Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) being cost-burdened. Rent-burdened renters may struggle to accrue savings that could be allocated towards a different housing arrangement in which the household could build equity or to use for other necessities.