What is affordable housing? In general, affordable housing is housing that a household can pay for, while also paying for other expenses like food, transportation, healthcare, and other needs. Housing is usually considered affordable if a households spends no more than 30 percent of its income on housing expenses, including rent, mortgage, home insurance, utilities, and other costs. Households that spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs are considered cost burdened. In some contexts, the term "affordable housing" can be interchanged with "income-restricted housing" (see below).

What is income-restricted housing? Income-restricted housing is set aside for households below specific income thresholds. The rent or price for these units is restricted below market rates to make the unit more affordable for eligible households. Income-restricted housing can take a variety of forms, including public housing, units secured with project-based vouchers from the Iowa City Housing Authority, housing owned and managed by mission-driven nonprofits, and housing built by developers receiving support from the local, state, or federal government. Costs for income-restricted housing can exceed 30 percent of a household's income in some cases; for this reason, we use the term "income-restricted housing" rather than "affordable housing" to describe Iowa City's income-restricted housing stock.

What is Area Median Income? Area Median Income (AMI) is often used to define income limits for income-restricted housing. AMI is the median (50th percentile) income for a region, found here. Income limits are usually set at a percent of AMI; households earning 60 percent of AMI or less are generally considered low-income.

How did the City come up with a goal of 9,098 homes by 2050? This goal appears in the Existing Conditions Review Analysis for the 2026 Comprehensive Plan update. It was calculated using growth projections for the next 25 years and nets to 364 new homes per year, on average. The fuel gauge at the top of the page breaks our housing production goal down into a goal for the next 5 years.

How often is the dashboard updated, and how? City staff update the dashboard annually, with some exceptions for mid-year updates. Most data comes from U.S. Census or City sources, with several exceptions noted below.

Sources:

Unless noted below, data is 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey.

• Wage by Occupation: Iowa Department of Workforce Development
• 2-Bedroom Housing Wage: National Low Income Housing Coalition
• Median Homes Sales Price: Iowa City Assessor
• Building Permits Issued: City of Iowa City Department of Neighborhood & Development Services
• Income-Restricted Units: City of Iowa City Department of Neighborhood & Development Services
• City Assistance: City of Iowa City Department of Neighborhood & Development Services
• Point in Time Homelessness Data: Institute for Community Alliances
• Individuals Served in Winter Shelter: City of Iowa City Department of Neighborhood & Development Services
• Individuals Served in Shelter: Institute for Community Alliances
• Individuals Served in Rapid Re-Housing: Institute for Community Alliances
• Individuals Served in Permanent Supportive Housing: Shelter House and Iowa City Housing Authority
• Homelessness Response System Bed Capacity: Institute for Community Alliances
• Days to Housing in Rapid Re-Housing: Shelter House