Baltimore-area residents of all incomes struggled to afford basic daily necessities over the last year and are significantly worried about those expenses in the coming 12 months, a Johns Hopkins survey has found.
The Baltimore Area Survey conducted last fall by the Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative collected responses about medical, utility, food, housing, and transportation expenses from 1,271 regional residents—748 from Baltimore City and 523 from Baltimore County.
What the survey found was striking: Over the last 12 months, 30% to 40% of Baltimore-area residents reported difficulty affording those necessary expenses over the last year.
Key Takeaways
- Baltimore-area residents of all incomes struggled to afford basic daily necessities over the last year and are significantly worried about those expenses in the coming 12 months.
- Over the last 12 months, 30% to 40% of Baltimore-area residents reported difficulty affording those necessary expenses over the last year.
- Concern about future cost-of-living expenses was even more pronounced: Roughly seven in 10 residents reported some level of concern about affording healthcare costs over the next 12 months; six in 10 reported being worried about paying utility, food, and housing bills; and about five in 10 are anxious about transportation costs.
Large numbers of Baltimore-area residents, even those making up to $110,000 a year, struggled to afford basic daily necessities and are significantly worried about those expenses in the coming months.
Roughly seven in 10 residents reported some level of concern about affording healthcare costs over the next 12 months; six in 10 reported being worried about paying utility, food, and housing bills; and about five in 10 are anxious about transportation costs.
"Many residents faced difficulty paying for essential household expenses over the past year, and even more report concern about paying for these expenses in the coming year," the report states. "This report finds that while past hardship is most concentrated on food and housing costs, residents express the most concern about medical and utility costs moving forward."
Said Marin Beal, a graduate student who is a co-author of the survey: "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."
"Baltimore-area residents are also concerned about these costs in the coming year," added Beal, a fourth year doctoral student in sociology. "More than two in five worried about costs in all five categories for the coming year."
Highlights of the Baltimore Area Survey
Medical:
- Around 35% found it somewhat difficult or very difficult to pay for medical expenses in the last 12 months.
- Medical expenses posed a disproportionate burden for lower-income residents: Roughly half of residents making less than $70,000 per year experienced difficulty affording medical expenses in the last 12 months, with nearly 25% indicating these costs were very difficult to afford.
- Nearly seven in 10 residents reported that they were at least somewhat concerned about affording medical care in the coming year. While concern was most acute among lower-income residents, all income levels harbor significant worries.
Utilities:
- More than a third of Baltimore-area residents were late on their utility bills at least once in the last 12 months.
- Over 6 in 10 residents say they are at least a little worried about affording utility expenses in the coming year.
- The concern is more pronounced in Baltimore City and among low-income residents: Roughly 75% of city residents expressed concern compared to just over 50% of county residents; Around 80% of residents making less than $70,000 per year reported some level of concern about future utilities with more than 25% worrying "a great deal."
Food
- Around two in five Baltimore-area residents were food insecure in the last 12 months, with roughly one in five classified as being very food insecure.
- Around 50% of Baltimore City residents and about 25% of Baltimore County residents are food insecure.
- The future cost of food is concerning to three in five residents, with lower income residents experiencing the most worries: Nine in 10 residents earning less than $30,000 reported concerns about grocery prices.
Housing
- Around 50% of Baltimore-area residents worried about affording their housing expenses in the last 12 months, with one in five saying they were "often" or "always" worried.
- About 58% are concerned about housing costs in the next 12 months. Baltimore City residents and renters are more likely to be concerned.
- About 75% of Baltimore City residents are concerned about future housing costs compared to only 50% of Baltimore County residents.
- Around 75% of renters are concerned about future housing costs compared to less than 50% of homeowners.
Transportation
- About three in 10 Baltimore-area residents were transportation insecure in the last 12 months, with about 15% classified as highly transportation insecure.
- This burden was much higher in Baltimore City, where around two in five residents struggled with transportation compared to about one in five Baltimore County residents.
- Transportation insecurity is most pronounced among low-income residents, with about three in five earning less than $30,000 experiencing transportation insecurity in the last 12 months.
