NLIHC was founded on the principle that data-driven advocacy works. By conducting ongoing, rigorous, and timely research, we make clear the need to ensure housing for America’s lowest-income people.

Every year, we release our signature research publications: Out of Reach and The Gap. Out of Reach reports on the mismatch between what workers can afford and the market rents they must pay in every community in the United States. The Gap documents the gap between the number of renter households and rental units that are affordable and available to them, as well as housing cost burdens, by income groupings in every state and the largest 50 metropolitan areas.

Our research team also produces Congressional District Profiles, which empower policy advocates with specialized data from their own communities. We also produce specialized analyses of current issues, like emergency rental assistance, housing recovery after disasters, and the affordability gap.

Memo to Members and Partners Articles

Natural Disasters Exacerbate Wealth Inequality

A study by Junia Howell and James Elliott, Damages Done: The Longitudinal Impacts of Natural Hazards on Wealth Inequality in the United States, reveals that natural disasters exacerbate wealth inequality. White households and those with more education gain wealth after natural disasters, while…

Researchers Find High Denial Rates of Housing Vouchers by Landlords

A study conducted by the Urban Institute, A Pilot Study of Landlord Acceptance of Housing Choice Vouchers, finds high denial rates of Housing Choice Vouchers by landlords, particularly in markets where discrimination based on prospective tenants’ source of income is not prohibited. The study’s…