Baltimore Residents Struggle With Affordability Crisis

Survey finds many Baltimore-area residents had difficulty affording basic necessities like healthcare, utilities, food, and housing over the past year.

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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A new survey from the Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative found that 30% to 40% of Baltimore-area residents reported difficulty affording basic daily necessities like medical expenses, utilities, food, housing, and transportation over the last 12 months. Concern about future cost-of-living expenses was even more pronounced, with roughly seven in 10 residents reporting some level of concern about affording healthcare costs, six in 10 worried about paying utility, food, and housing bills, and about five in 10 anxious about transportation costs in the coming year.

Why it matters

The survey highlights the significant financial struggles faced by Baltimore-area residents across all income levels, underscoring the growing affordability crisis in the region. With large numbers of residents, even those making up to $110,000 a year, struggling to afford basic necessities, the data provides clear evidence of the real-world impacts of rising costs of living on the local community.

The details

The Baltimore Area Survey collected responses from 1,271 regional residents - 748 from Baltimore City and 523 from Baltimore County. It found that over the last 12 months, 30% to 40% of Baltimore-area residents reported difficulty affording necessary expenses like medical care, utilities, food, housing, and transportation. Concern about future costs was even higher, with roughly seven in 10 residents worried about affording healthcare, six in 10 concerned about utility, food, and housing bills, and about five in 10 anxious about transportation costs in the coming year. The burden was especially acute for lower-income residents, with around half of those making less than $70,000 per year experiencing difficulty affording medical expenses and 80% of those under $70,000 worried about future utility costs.

  • The Baltimore Area Survey was conducted last fall.

The players

Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative

A research organization at Johns Hopkins University that conducted the Baltimore Area Survey.

Marin Beal

A graduate student and co-author of the Baltimore Area Survey.

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What they’re saying

“As the salience of 'affordability' in politics has increased, it can be easy to lose site of the real struggles that made it salient in the first place. These data provide clear numbers: in all five categories we studied—food, housing, utility, medical, and transportation—at least three in 10 Baltimore-area residents experienced financial hardship last year.”

— Marin Beal, Graduate student and co-author of the survey (Mirage News)

“Baltimore-area residents are also concerned about these costs in the coming year. More than two in five worried about costs in all five categories for the coming year.”

— Marin Beal, Graduate student and co-author of the survey (Mirage News)

The takeaway

The Baltimore Area Survey paints a stark picture of the affordability crisis facing residents across the region, with large numbers struggling to afford basic necessities like healthcare, utilities, food, housing, and transportation. The data underscores the real-world impacts of rising costs of living and the need for policymakers to address the growing financial burdens on Baltimore-area families.