According to the report by The Center for Housing Policy, which used the most recently available data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey, the share of working households with a severe housing cost burden increased significantly between 2008 and 2011, rising from 21.8% to 23.6%.

The picture is most bleak for working renters, who saw both their incomes drop and their housing costs rise. Rental costs climbed 6% from 2008 to 2011, while income fell 3.2%.