National Survey of 113 Mayors Reveals an Affordability Crisis Impacting Nearly Every Area of Life for Residents

Mayors are driving solutions on the ground, but say federal partnership is essential to solve crisis

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) released the results of a National Affordability Survey of 113 U.S. mayors, whose responses show a country struggling with an affordability crisis that city leaders are working to address on multiple fronts, including housing, food and utility costs. It is the most comprehensive survey on affordability ever produced by the Conference, and presents a stark picture of the challenge. 

According to the detailed survey, 96% of mayors say their residents are very or extremely concerned about the affordability crisis. And responding mayors were nearly unanimous in identifying its cause – with 96% citing untenable housing costs. Mayors also see the affordability crisis deepening. Nearly 93% reported a rising cost of living in their cities over the past year, with 39% saying the crisis has significantly worsened.

The survey also shows that:

• While housing generates the most concern over affordability, the price of groceries, utilities, childcare, transportation (including gas) and healthcare all contribute to the rising cost of living in cities.
• Nearly 7-in-10 respondents reported higher rates of food insecurity and foodbank usage in their cities.
• Two-thirds of mayors reported that local businesses are impacted by residents having less disposable income to spend within their communities.

"Americans are feeling squeezed by the cost of housing, groceries, utilities and other everyday necessities," said U.S. Conference of Mayors President Todd Gloria, Mayor of San Diego. "Mayors see this every day in our communities, and we're doing what we can locally to lower costs like building more housing and supporting food assistance programs. But this affordability crisis is a national one and it requires strong federal partnership to fix it."

Gloria continued, "The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act becoming law this summer was an important first step toward bringing down housing costs, but there is much more work to do. America's mayors are ready to keep working in our communities and with Congress and the Administration on practical solutions that make it easier for people to afford the communities they call home."

In addition to the direct impact the affordability crisis has on residents, the survey found that it also limits the ability of cities to improve quality of life. Cities reported that rising housing costs were undercutting efforts to increase home ownership (82%) and reduce homelessness (71%). Seventy percent of cities said the affordability crisis was limiting local economic growth, and 46% of cities reported challenges attracting and retaining workers in their city.

In the survey, a city official from Vallejo (CA) highlighted how increased resident needs are straining city resources, saying "more residents are taking buses and transit because of gas prices, even if it means longer travel times, multiple transfers, or long walks. More households are behind on water bills and asking for discounts on fees. Food banks are overwhelmed and have longer lines and new families showing up. Our legal services nonprofits that provide eviction support for tenants have been overwhelmed by demand."

While permanent solutions require national support, mayors are responding where they can. The survey highlighted actions mayors are taking to address the affordability crisis, including efforts to build additional affordable housing, supporting food assistance programs and lowering utility bills. For example, Boise (ID) has "set up utility assistance funds in the city to help offset city-owned utility bills. The city is also pursuing public private-partnerships to build more deeply affordable homes in Boise. The city has built or is building 1,000 affordable housing units over the last six years, and modernizing our zoning code to get red tape out of the market and allow housing to be built more quickly to help solve the supply imbalance."

The survey was conducted from August 18 through September 4, 2026. In total, 113 cities from 39 states and Puerto Rico responded to this survey representing approximately 34.1 million Americans. The full results of the survey can be found here.

About the United States Conference of Mayors – The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Follow our work on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Substack, and TikTok. 

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors