People often think of affordable housing as large public complexes where very poor people live, but it is far more nuanced than that, Scott says. Nationwide, according to a Dec. 8, 2022, estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 40% of renters were “cost burdened,” meaning they were spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs.
Local statistics compiled by the city of Colorado Springs from 2021 Census Bureau Data showed that 35 percent of households in El Paso and Teller counties were cost-burdened, and 17% were extremely cost-burdened — that is, they were paying more than half their income for housing.
And while 90% of households in the lowest income bracket — making $24,720 per year or less — are considered cost-burdened, even higher income brackets feel the pinch. The Collaborative terms this the missing middle — households with incomes from about $25,000 to over $65,000.
“You’ve almost got to be making $70,000 a year to be able to afford an apartment here,” Scott says. “It’s now affecting job types that would never have been considered having problems being able to pay rent before. We’re talking about retail workers and nonprofit workers and people working in the service industry; we’re even talking about registered nurses, enlisted military and teachers.”
