Affordability
Housing cost burden
Among households earning under $50,000 in Johnston, an estimated 824 households are paying more than they can afford for a home they rent, and 539 households are paying more than they can afford for a home they own.
Cost burden refers to a household paying more than 30% of income on housing.
Severe cost burden refers to a household paying more than 50% of income on housing.
Housing cost burdens can break apart family budgets. High housing costs take up money otherwise needed for transportation, education, and other basic necessities.
Wages needed to afford housing
The National Low Income Housing Coalition releases an annual estimate of the hourly wage a person would need to earn to afford a typical two bedroom apartment. Here's local data:
Zip Code | Housing Wage |
---|---|
50313 | $18.27 |
50111 | $20.19 |
50131 | $22.88 |
Wages paid by essential jobs
The National Housing Conference's Paycheck to Paycheck report highlights the wages commonly paid by important occupations in our region:

Childcare worker
$13.86/hour

Retail salesperson
$12.56/hour

Home health/personal care aide
$13.86/hour

Restaurant cook
$14.39/hour
Income Profile
Number of households in poverty
1,104
That's 5% of the population.
Number of households earning under $50k/year
2,047
Median household income
$92,984
Housing Stock
Number of housing units
9,335
Percentage that are occupied
96%
Median value, owner occupied home
$272,500
Median rent
$1,134
Percentage of all housing units that are...
Owner occupied
73%
Renter occupied
27%
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About the data
You are viewing Community Profiles v 2.0 last updated in November, 2022.
Community data is drawn from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey with analysis by the Polk County Housing Trust Fund. Job map data is from the US Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies, LEHD via On the Map. Other data sources are noted where shown.