Milwaukie's Housing Costs

Housing has become less affordable in Milwaukie over the last ten years, consistent with trends across the Portland region and the West Coast. A typical standard used to determine housing affordability is that a household should pay no more than 30% of household income for housing costs, including payments and interest, or rent, utilities, and insurance. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s guidelines indicate that households paying more than 30% of their income on housing experience “cost burden” and households paying more than 50% of their income on housing experience “severe cost burden.”

About 38% of Milwaukie’s households were cost burdened in the 2015-2019 period and 17% were severely cost burdened. In this period, about 52% of renter households were cost burdened or severely cost burdened, compared with 29% of homeowners. These rates of cost burden are similar to other communities in the Portland region.

Housing Cost Burden by Tenure, Milwaukie, 2015-2019

Source: US Census Bureau, 2015-2019 ACS Tables B25091 and B25070.

Renters are much more likely to be cost burdened than homeowners.

In the 2015-2019 period, about 52% of Milwaukie’s renters were cost burdened or severely cost burdened, compared to 29% of homeowners.

About 26% of Milwaukie’s renters were severely cost burdened (meaning they paid more than 50% of their income on housing costs alone).