Affordable housing is out of reach for Washington renters

WASHINGTON - Full-time workers need to earn $39.84 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent in Washington. This is Washington’s “2026 Housing Wage” according to Out of Reach, a report published jointly today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).

Out of Reach, released annually, documents the gulf between wages and what people need to earn to afford their rents. The report routinely shows that affordable rental homes remain out of reach for millions of low-wage workers and their families. The report’s Housing Wage is an estimate of the hourly wage full-time workers must earn to afford a rental home at HUD’s Fair Market Rent without spending more than 30% of their incomes. In 51 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, renters earning the average renter wage must work more than 40 hours per week to afford a modest two-bedroom rental home. 

“Housing remains out of reach for too many people in Washington, forcing impossible choices between paying rent and affording other necessities like food, medicine, and childcare,” said Rachael Myers, Executive Director of the Washington Housing Alliance. “Our state has invested billions of dollars in affordable homes over the last several budget cycles, but we need to do more. Even with new limits passed last year, rent increases are still higher than many people can afford and landlords are adding junk fees on top of those already high rents. Our legislature and every city and county in Washington should prioritize solving this crisis.”

Out of Reach 2026 highlights the significant need for subsidies to assist the lowest-income renters. Despite this need, federal resources for affordable housing remain insufficient. Currently, only one in four eligible households receives federal housing assistance due to chronic underfunding. This underfunding is largely a result of housing assistance programs competing for limited discretionary federal funding.

“To meaningfully address the affordable housing crisis, the federal government must adequately fund housing programs in a way that would expand rental assistance and both preserve and increase the supply of deeply affordable homes for those with the lowest incomes,” said NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis. “Out of Reach 2026 shows why millions of low-income renters are struggling to afford their homes. The president’s recent FY27 budget request would drastically underfund HUD programs, worsening the affordable housing crisis and threatening the housing stability of families struggling to keep roofs over their heads. We have the resources to invest in expanding housing solutions that provide stable homes for the lowest-income people in our country. We just need the political will to do so.”

For more information, and to download the report, visit: http://www.nlihc.org/oor