Comprehensive development plan

The status of housing in a community can also be viewed based on what proportion of a person’s income is used to pay for housing. Higher housing costs limit resources for other necessities, such as food, utilities, and medicine. This can become a severe problem for retired people living on fixed incomes and facing other economic pressures, such as high costs for medical care and prescription drugs. Similar issues can afflict younger age groups for people in low-pay jobs. The struggle to survive and meet basic needs can become overwhelming.

Table V-7 Rental Costs as Percent of Household Income^1 Carroll County, MRPDC, and Virginia By Age Group 2000
	Carroll County	Percent of Those Computed	MRPDC	Percent of Those Computed	Virginia	Percent of Those Computed
15 to 64 years
Less than 30% 30% or more SUBTOTAL: Not computed:^2	882 488 1370 228	64.4% 35.6%	8,815 3,726 12,541 2,011	70.3% 29.7%	451,535 242,000 693,535 51,027	65.1% 34.9%
65 and over
Less than 30% 30% or more SUBTOTAL: Not computed:^2   TOTAL:	118 140 258 178   2,034	45.7% 54.3%	1,289 1,053 2,342 812   17,706	55.0% 45.0%	41,213 43,768 84,981 13,890   843,433	48.5% 51.5%
1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census. 2. “Not computed” includes households that did not report either rental costs or income.

Table V-7 provides an overview of income versus rental costs for people in the income-earning years and for those in the 65 and over age group. In 2000, 35.6 percent of the income-earning age group, those between the ages of 15 and 64, spent 30 percent or more of total income on housing in Carroll County. In contrast, more than 54 percent of senior citizens who rent spent too much on housing in the county. Both age groups have a higher percentage of renters that spend 30 percent or more of total income on housing than renters in the Mount Rogers Planning District or the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Individuals who spend 30 percent or more of total income on housing are considered cost-burdened by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and the Virginia Center for Housing Research. Those who spend more than 50 percent of total income on housing are considered severely cost-burdened. Typically, those who have the most trouble paying for housing include those living on limited, fixed incomes (elderly and disabled) and low-wage workers.¹

B. Substandard Housing

Since 1960, housing conditions have steadily improved in Carroll County. While the high proportion of substandard housing units in the county has been a concern in the past, efforts to alleviate this problem have proven highly successful. The 1960 Census identified housing units as either “sound,” “deteriorating,” or “dilapidated,” with 35.8 percent of housing units classified as deteriorating or dilapidated.

Table V-8
Condition of Dwelling Units^1
Carroll County
1960
Condition	Number	Percent
Sound	4,433	64.2
Deteriorating	1,750	25.4
Dilapidated	718	10.4
Total	6,901	100.0