Equity / Housing

Young People and Housing Affordability

March 13, 2023

We hear (and talk) a lot about the rising cost of living in Colorado. When creating the Youth Agenda, creating a more just economy was one of young people’s top priorities. From rent control to land grants, young people support a range of policies to create more affordable, sustainable, and safe places for people to live. With policy ideas like rent control being tested by the lawmakers during the 2023 legislative session, we asked ourselves: what does renting look like for young people across the state? How much of their income are young folks spending on rent? What can these numbers tell us? 

It’s clear across Colorado: the rent is too damn high. Check out the map below to see where young people can—and can’t—afford to live where their lives are. 

Tags
Key Findings
  • Rent in some of the most populous counties in Colorado is unaffordable for most young people. 
    • Of Colorado’s ten counties with the most young renters, at least 40% of young renters pay unaffordable rent.
      • 3 in 5 (60%) of young households in Boulder county.
      • Over half of young households (52%) in El Paso county.
      • 2 in 5 (42%) of young households in Denver county.
  • Housing affordability is truly a statewide problem, from La Plata to Sedgwick. 
    • In 17 of Colorado’s 64 counties, at least 50% of households pay unaffordable rent. 
  • Housing affordability is an issue of racial and ethnic inequity.
    • In the eight counties that have the highest percentage of young people of color, seven have at least 40% of households paying unaffordable rent.
      In the eight most rented in counties with a higher than average percentage of Hispanic young folks, over 40% of young households pay unaffordable rent.
Key
Findings
  • Rent in some of the most populous counties in Colorado is unaffordable for most young people. 
    • Of Colorado’s ten counties with the most young renters, at least 40% of young renters pay unaffordable rent.
      • 3 in 5 (60%) of young households in Boulder county.
      • Over half of young households (52%) in El Paso county.
      • 2 in 5 (42%) of young households in Denver county.
  • Housing affordability is truly a statewide problem, from La Plata to Sedgwick. 
    • In 17 of Colorado’s 64 counties, at least 50% of households pay unaffordable rent. 
  • Housing affordability is an issue of racial and ethnic inequity.
    • In the eight counties that have the highest percentage of young people of color, seven have at least 40% of households paying unaffordable rent.
      In the eight most rented in counties with a higher than average percentage of Hispanic young folks, over 40% of young households pay unaffordable rent.
Methodology

We made this map to better understand how high rents impact young people, 15 – 34, in different communities across the state. This information can help advocates, organizations, and activists see how the cost of rent is impacting young people -elevating high costs areas and pinpointing regions where policy reform is desperately needed.

Data Sources: 

  • The housing cost data used in this map comes from the American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates, 2019-2021. According to the US Census Bureau, the American Community Survey “is the cornerstone of the U.S. Census Bureau’s effort to keep pace with the nation’s ever-increasing demands for timely and relevant data about population and housing characteristics.”
  • The demographic data used in this map comes from the US Census Bureau’s Annual County Resident Population Estimates, 2020-2021.

Definitions: 

  • “Unaffordable Rent” is defined as rent that costs more than 30% of someone’s income. 
  • “Households” is defined as including all the people who occupy a housing unit.
  • Further relevant definitions can be found here.

We plan to update this map over time to include the most recent year’s data, as well as to include data on a variety of other topics that influence young folks’ access to housing. We will update this methodology whenever those updates are published.

For further inquiries about our methodology or data, contact info@neweracolorado.org.

For media inquiries about this project, contact camila@neweracolorado.org.