The Rent Really Is Too Damn High

I remember hearing that part of the reason Angela Davis (and I imagine other 1960s activists) was able to spend her time on activism and writing was because her rent was cheap. There was more detail in the story where I heard that a number of years ago, but I didn't post it here, unfortunately.

Here's one piece of documentation of that bit of economic data.

Urban economist Jacob Vigdor, University of Washington, says in that link that the average renter in the 1960s paid 15–16% of income in rent. Now, rents are considered affordable within housing rules if they require no more than 33% of income. And it's not uncommon for people in some areas to be "rent-burdened," which means they're paying more than 33% of their income in rent.