Fairfax County Has Critical Shortage of Affordable Housing – Now and in the Future
- allysonpearce8
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
New research by HR&A Advisors, Inc. (HR&A) for the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development finds a critical shortage of housing affordable to people earning up to 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
The analysis finds that Fairfax County currently lacks the estimated 13,800 rental homes affordable to people at this income level or below. In addition, thousands of additional affordable homes are needed over the course of the next decade. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development, in 2025, households at 60% AMI have income of approximately $98,350 for a four-person household or $78,700 for two-person household.
Lower-income renters are overwhelmingly cost burdened
The lack of affordable housing means more people are spending more money on housing, creating cost burden. The research found that almost 87% of renters earning less than $75,000 per year are cost burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities.
Communitywide efforts to increase affordable housing
The affordable housing data is part of a larger report to inform housing production roadmap and action plan, per the Board Matter presented by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay in September, 2025. The Board Matter addresses all aspects of housing, including affordable housing, market rate rentals, and homeownership.
In terms of affordable housing, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) is committed to creating 10,000 net new affordable homes by 2034. Progress toward this goal is available on the agency’s data dashboard. Other data about FCRHA community impact can be found in its Strategic Outcomes Report.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Updated on Affordable Housing
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Housing Committee met on February 10, 2026. Download the presentation for the rest of the HR&A Housing analysis. A video of the meeting is posted to the Channel 16 BOS Committee Meetings archive.