While Austin renters have struggled to afford this city for a while, new research shows how widespread the problem is. In 2022, nearly 48% of renters in the Austin area spent more than a third of their wages on rent and utilities, according to researchers with Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies who analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data. Per federal guidelines on housing affordability, spending more than 30% of your income on rent means that housing is unaffordable.