This figure indicates how affordable housing is for renters of different races and ethnicities. The federal Housing and Urban Development Department guideline for affordability is that rent should consume no more than 30% of household income. High housing costs can force households to choose between paying for housing and meeting other basic needs such as food, clothing and health care.

Rent consumed 37% of the income of African American households, compared to 33% of Hispanic, 27% of white and 25% of Asian household income in 2016-20. The figure for African Americans was higher than the state or nation, while the Hispanic figure was higher than the nation but below the state. Median rents were highest for Asians in Westchester at almost $1,800, followed by $1,700 for whites, $1,600 for Hispanics and $1,500 for African Americans.

Historic and current policies and systems, from racist housing policies to employment discrimination to education systems that fail to equitably serve all populations, have prevented people of color from fully participating in our economy, locking them out of economic opportunity. This has resulted in lower incomes for people of color, which means housing costs are a greater burden. At the same time, housing costs are rising faster than incomes and affordable housing is limited.

Multi-year data are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample. The American Community Survey combines five years of responses to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.