Rural housing

Provision of housing in rural areas is considered a social crisis in the United States. The rural housing crisis may seem insignificant at first glance, but upon deeper digging, one will find that the issue is actually affecting millions living in rural areas. The rural housing crisis, or insecurity, manifests in multiple ways, including increased costs, the rural income not keeping up with the increased costs, substandard housing, overcrowding, and environmental crises, all of which affect rural populations tremendously.

Rural housing in the United Kingdom

The lack of affordable housing is one of the most critical issues facing rural communities in the UK. This results in people have to move away to find affordable housing, which means that families are separated by distance and are less able to support each other by providing childcare or to do shopping for elderly relatives. Moreover, local services such as schools and shops become increasingly difficult to maintain due to lack of demand, while rural enterprises cannot recruit sufficient workers who live locally. An integrated approach is needed to sustain rural communities.

Rural housing in the United States

Introduction

To look first at the statistics, in terms of increased costs, it was found that 42% of all rural renters are cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income for housing, and that 21% of all rural renters pay more than 50% of their income for housing (Johnston 2018). In terms of the income not keeping up, it was reported by the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors that rent increased by 31.2% from 2000 to 2023 in rural areas, but the median real income of rural renting households only increased by 5.5%2 (The White House 2025). In terms of substandard housing, indoor plumbing was found to be unavailable to 4% of all rural housing. In terms of overcrowding, of the 4% that lack indoor plumbing, 10% have more than one occupant per room (Johnstone 2018).