What percent of their income do Americans spend on housing?
In 2025 the average US household spent $27,790 on housing, 33.9% of its total spending of $81,905, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Measured against the average income before taxes of $110,847, that is about 25%. BLS counts more than rent or a mortgage as housing: utilities, furnishings and household supplies are included. Renters are more stretched: the median renter household spent 31% of its income on rent and utilities in 2023.
The numbers, and what they measure
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Housing spending per household, 2025 | $27,790 | BLS Consumer Expenditures |
| Share of total spending | 33.9% | BLS Consumer Expenditures |
| Share of average income before taxes ($110,847) | 25.1% | Our calculation from BLS figures |
| Of that, shelter (rent, mortgage interest, other lodging) | $17,626 | BLS Consumer Expenditures |
| Median renter: rent and utilities as share of income, 2023 | 31% | US Census Bureau, American Community Survey |
Three things to keep in mind before you compare yourself:
- Spending is not income. The 33.9% is a share of what households spend, the number most often quoted. As a share of income before taxes it is lower, because part of income goes to taxes, pensions and savings.
- BLS housing is broad. Besides shelter it includes utilities, fuels and public services (with phone bills), household operations, housekeeping supplies, and furniture and appliances.
- An average hides the spread. Owners with a paid-off home pull the average down; renters in expensive cities sit far above it. In 2023, about half of the renter households measured spent more than 30% of their income on housing.
Worked example: Taylor compares with the average
Taylor rents and adds up housing the way BLS does:
| Housing cost | Per month |
|---|---|
| Rent | 1,450 |
| Electricity, gas, water, phone and internet | 210 |
| Renters insurance | 15 |
| Household supplies and furnishings, averaged | 75 |
| Housing | 1,750 |
Taylor spends $4,900 a month in total and earns $6,200 a month before taxes. Housing is 35.7% of spending, a little above the US average of 33.9%, and 28.2% of gross income, below the 30% line that HUD uses to call a household cost-burdened.
Compare your own share
Follow-up questions
How much of my income should go to rent? The common ceiling is 30% of gross income for rent plus utilities. We work through it with three apartments in what percentage of your income should go to rent.
Has the share gone up? Yes. Housing spending rose 5.8% from 2024 to 2025, mostly because shelter rose 8.0%, faster than total spending (4.3%).
Does BLS count a mortgage payment as housing? It counts mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance and repairs, not the part of the payment that pays down the loan, because that part builds the owner's equity.
Sources: BLS, Consumer Expenditures in 2025, news release of 29 October 2026; BLS, Consumer Expenditure Surveys glossary; US Census Bureau, renter households cost-burdened, 2024; HUD User glossary, "affordable housing". The share of income before taxes is our calculation ($27,790 ÷ $110,847). Taylor's figures are illustrative.
Disclosure: Still Penny makes a Budget Spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets (6.90 EUR, one-time purchase on Etsy). Its year dashboard shows income and spending per category and month, so you can see what share housing takes. It is optional: the calculator above is free.
General information, not financial advice.