This fact sheet was created in partnership with Housing NOW! California, to support their work to advance policies that protect renters at risk of eviction during the Covid-19 emergency. This document was published in March 2021. You can also view the January 2021 version of the fact sheet here. Key findings include:

• 814,200 million California renter households were behind on rent in January 2021, down from 1.1 million households in December 2020.
• Californian renters face an estimated $2.4 billion in rent debt, approximately $2,900 per household.
• The vast majority of renters who are behind have experienced job and income losses during the pandemic: 80 percent have lost employment income.
• 77 percent of renters who are behind are people of color, and 77 percent earn less than $50,000. Only 6 percent of households with incomes $75,000 or more are behind on rent.

See the accompanying methodology and Spanish version.

Learn more about Housing NOW! California.