New federal data shows just how unaffordable renting has become in the United States.

A survey released last week from the United States Census Bureau found that housing payments for around half of households in the US were unaffordable in 2021 according to guidelines set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, known as HUD.

The survey, which collected data from more than 3.5 million US households, used data to estimate the percent of income US households are spending on gross rent (which includes rent and utilities).

The survey found that in the US, half of renters paid more than 30% of their incomes towards gross rent. 30% is the threshold HUD uses to determine whether housing is affordable or not.

And the crisis is deepening. The 2021 survey found that rent was unaffordable for 47% of American households. In 2019, that percent was just 33%. And rental prices have only increased since 2021 while wages have largely stagnated.