Where the Rental Burden is Worst in Illinois' 10 Most Populated Cities

The organization Make Room, an advocacy group that raises awareness for millions of U.S. families struggling to pay rent, analyzed U.S. Census data from 2014 to see where in Illinois renters are most burdened by the cost of rent.

The analysis found 27 percent of renters in Illinois are “severely burdened” by housing expenses, which means more than half of renters’ income goes toward rent and utilities.

In terms of raw numbers, that’s 441,381 households throughout the state that spend at least 50 percent of their income solely on rent. Illinois ranked No. 13 in the nation for percentage of renters severely burdened by housing costs, according to Make Room.

The report also looked at the state's 10 most populous cities -- Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, Joliet, Naperville, Springfield, Peoria, Elgin, Waukegan and Cicero -- and found 28 percent of the 736,000 renters are severely burdened by rent.

Here are the cities in which renters are struggling the most to afford rent, in order from the lowest rental burden to highest.

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