Housing is widely recognized as a necessity of life and it is also the single largest cost of living for most households. Since the cost of housing determines how much of other goods families can consume, affordable housing is a basic element of quality of life. Although Virginia does have a reputation for providing high quality, affordable housing for most residents, many low-income renters struggle to find decent. Across Virginia, low-income families face rents for decent quality apartments they cannot afford. This report provides a rent burden index based on housing costs relative to income for Virginia cities and counties.