# Pennsylvania

### Summary

Pennsylvania state is facing challenges to housing affordability. For every 100 low-income renter households, there are 66 units available that are affordable to them. The median household income in the state is $40,098 whereas the median rent in the state is $835. Currently, the state is short over 140,555 low-income housing units, meaning rental units that are affordable to households earning ≤60% of AMI.

- **30.8%** share of renter households
- **41.0%** share of low-income households
- **43.5%** share of rent-burdened households

### Renter population data

#### Renters vs homeowners
| Households               | % share  |
|-------------------------|----------|
| Renter households       | 1,586,866| 30.8%    |
| Homeowner households     | 3,560,917| 69.2%    |
| Total households         | 5,147,783| 100.0%   |

#### Low-income renter households
| Households             | % share  |
|-----------------------|----------|
| Extremely low-income   | ≤30% AMI | 226,100  | 14.2%     |
| Very low-income       | 31-50% AMI| 186,535  | 11.8%     |
| Low-income            | 51-80% AMI| 237,346  | 15.0%     |
| All low-income households| <80% AMI| 649,981  | 41.0%     |

### Rent-burdened households
| Households               | % share  |
|-------------------------|----------|
| Moderately rent-burdened| 339,228  | 21.4%    |
| 30.0–34.9%             | 128,804  | 8.1%     |
| 35.0–39.9%             | 87,586   | 5.5%     |
| 40.0-49.9%             | 122,838  | 7.7%     |
| Severely rent-burdened  | 350,688  | 22.1%    |
| ≥50.0%                  | 350,688  | 22.1%     |
| All rent-burdened households| 689,916| 43.5%   |

### Affordable housing shortage

#### Rent vs median household income

| Year                    | Median household income ($) | Median rent ($) |
|-------------------------|----------------------------|-----------------|
| 2010                    | 28,051                     | 593             |
| 2021                    | 40,098                     | 835             |

- Increase (2010–2021) in median household income: **42.9%**
- Increase (2010–2021) in median rent: **40.8%**

#### Affordable housing stock

| Units                                 | Amount                |
|---------------------------------------|----------------------|
| Supply (current stock)                | 272,080              |
| Demand (total units needed)           | 412,635              |
| Shortage                              | 140,555              |
| Total shortage                        | 140,555              |
| Supply/demand ratio                  | 65.9%                |

### Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
#### Addressing housing financing
- **Location**: 211 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101

#### List of loan programs
- [Housing Trust Fund (PHARE)](https://www.phfa.org/legislation/act105.aspx)
- [Federal Opportunity Zones](https://www.phfa.org/opportunity-zones/)
- [Community Revitalization Fund Program](https://www.phfa.org/mhp/developers/loans.aspx)
- [Mixed Use Development Tax Credit](https://www.phfa.org/mhp/developers/loans.aspx)
- [Home4Good](https://www.phfa.org/mhp/serviceprovider/)
- [Housing Options Grant Program-Multi-family (HOP-MF)](https://www.phfa.org/forms/multifamily_news/news/2023/hop-final-guidelines.pdf)

### QAP document (Qualified Allocation Plan)

The QAP is a document that states, and a few local agencies, must develop in order to distribute federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs), which can be awarded only to a building that fits the QAP’s priorities and criteria. Each QAP must spell out a housing finance agency’s (HFA’s) priorities and specify the criteria it will use to select projects competing for tax credits. The priorities must be appropriate to local conditions.