America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers

House hunting has been a rather quick endeavor for most U.S. renters. Over half (58.5%) who moved between 2019 and 2021 found a new place to live in less than a month.

The recently released 2021 American Housing Survey (AHS) shows how those who moved into rental units between 2019 and 2021 searched for their homes. The AHS measures the reasons why (motivations) and provides profiles of renters who moved close to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unless otherwise noted, all percentages exclude nonresponses.

The majority (81.3%) of renters who moved during this timeframe reported they had sufficient time for their housing search yet over half (56.5%) of those who ended their search early indicated it was because they had to move quickly.

About 46.9% said they viewed units in only one neighborhood and 64.2% visited just one unit in their chosen neighborhood.

Continue reading to learn more about:

• Housing searches in metro areas
• How renters find rentals
• Why renters are moving
• Who’s submitting rental applications
• How renters find rentals

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The percentage of household income spent on rent plus utilities increased from 2019 to 2021 and renters with the lowest annual income saw the largest spikes.

About America Counts

America Counts features stories on various topics including: 

• Families, Housing, Employment, Business, Education, Economy 
• Emergency Management, Health, Population, Income and Poverty

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