One basic way that households cope with high housing costs is to opt for a unit smaller than what they want or need. A family of four might not be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment, but can afford a 1-bedroom apartment. They are housed but overcrowded. Overcrowding is defined here as greater than 2 household members per bedroom.
Households also adapt to high housing costs by living with parents or extended family, or living with other family units in a “doubled up” household with two distinct “subfamilies.” These multigenerational or combined households may or may not be overcrowded, and some may be doubled up by choice, tradition, or convenience. When families double-up strictly for financial reasons, it can reduce living expenses but also create stress on personal or family relations, and lower educational outcomes for children. Lower income households, specifically households of color, are more likely to be in overcrowded housing situations.
In Massachusetts, there are an estimated 49,000 overcrowded households, 1.8% of the total. The rate of overcrowding ranges by RPA from 0.4% in the Berkshire region to 2.6% in the Merrimack Valley region. Overcrowding is predominately a problem for households with children under the age of 18. They make up 74% of all overcrowded households and are overcrowded at a rate of 5.4% compared to a rate of 0.4% for households without children. BIPOC households are five times more likely to be overcrowded than White households, at a rate of 4.5% for all BIPOC households compared to 0.9% for White households.
Most overcrowded households (65%) are in rented units. About 8% either own their home free and clear or don’t pay rent, both strong incentives to stay put. Most overcrowded households aren’t huge: only 30% contain six or more people, while 70% have five or fewer members and just need a two-or three-bedroom unit to have adequate space.
These days everyone has stories about “empty nesters” whose adult children are living at home, often due to high housing costs. It is estimated that 15.0% of all households include parent heads of households with adult children living at home. About one third of those households also have children under 18. By combining incomes from multiple adults, these households are more likely than the general population to have higher income and less likely to be cost burdened.