Sustainable Thurston Report Card

Goal: Ensure that residents have the resources to meet their daily needs.

Targets

By 2035:

Fewer than 10% of households will be cost burdened
Fewer than 5% of households will be severely cost burdened

Outlook

Stormy, concerns for the future.
The percent of households that are cost burdened or severely cost burdened is more than double the targets set for 2035. Since 2000, the percent of total households that are cost burdened has increased 3% while the percent of total households that are severely cost burdened has increased 2%.

Data Table

Cost Burdened Households

Why is this important?

A cost-burdened household spends more than 30% of their income on housing costs; for severely cost-burdened households the share is 50%. When households are spending too much of their income on housing, they have less money available to spend on other basic needs, such as food, utilities, health care, and transportation. They also have less money available to spend at local businesses, which would support the region's economy.

Key Observations

Despite increasing average wages and decreasing unemployment, the number of cost burdened households exceeds the region's targets. There are two ways to make progress on this benchmark:

Further increase wages and decrease unemployment, especially for low-income residents in Thurston County. This can be accomplished by promoting a vibrant economy and job training.
Ensure an adequate supply of affordable housing for low-income residents: This will require cooperation and partnerships between jurisdictions, social service agencies, developers, and residents.

Definitions

Cost burdened households spend more than 30% of their income on housing-related expenses, including rent, mortgage payments, utilities, and maintenance.
Severely cost burdened households spend more than 50% of their income on housing-related expenses. The count of cost burdened households include severely cost burdened households.