If you live in a household in the Atlanta Metro region which makes less than $50k a year, chances are that 30% or more of your household income is going to pay either your rent or your mortgage. The map below, by census tract, shows those areas with the greatest affordability challenges in dark purple shading and those where households are paying less for housing in lighter color shading. From the map, we can see that most of the region’s census tracts have a majority of resident households with annual incomes below $50k spending more than 30% of their incomes on housing. As this map illustrates, a lack of affordable housing does not necessarily mean that people will not live in an area, especially when that area has proximity to work, school, and other desired amenities. That said, when people are paying more for housing, they will have less money to spend on food, transportation, and other critical needs. In short, lack of affordable housing can put the squeeze on spending in other parts of the economy.
