The majority of the lowest-income Illinois households are cost-burdened by housing and utilities: Share of Illinois households that are cost-burdened by income group

Income group Share that are cost-burdened
Extremely-low-income 84.9%
Very-low-income 70.9%
Low-income 29.8%
Middle-income 11.7%

Notes: Renter households are considered cost-burdened if they spend more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities. Area Median Income (AMI) is used to determine income eligibility for affordable housing programs, reflecting geography and family size. In this analysis, the household income groups are based on metropolitan area median family incomes and the aggregate statewide nonmetro median family income for households in nonmetropolitan areas. Extremely-low-income = 0–30% of AMI (or below the poverty guideline). Very-low-income = 31% (or the poverty guideline)–50% of AMI. Low-income = 51–80% of AMI. Middle-income = 81%–100% of AMI.

Source: Adapted from NLIHC 2020.

View the underlying data on epi.org.