The University of Arizona was commissioned by Family Housing Resources, Inc. to conduct a “gap analysis” of affordable low-income housing in Pima County. Our analysis defines lower income households as those earning less than 80% of the county median income (using the American Community Survey) and affordable units as homes that cost households no more than 30% of their income to own or rent. Our focus is on the affordable housing stock. We do not cover the adequacy of support services for lower income households even though that is often important for their success and part of an effective affordable housing strategy.

There are about 156,000 lower income households in Pima County, which is about 40% of all households. That total is probably overstated because the definition for income excludes capital gains, money from the sale of property, withdrawals from deposits and more. The lower income households mostly reside in Tucson, but at least 1,000 are found in several other eastern county communities ranging from Green Valley to Oro Valley. About 33% of the lower income households include at least one senior (65+); about 24% are families with children; and the most common lower income household type (29%) is single female living alone.