ABSTRACT
A little less than one in five homeowners aged 65 and older and 14% of elderly renters lived in rural locations in 2017. Manufactured housing is an important low-cost residential option for many rural older adults. As of 2005, nearly two-thirds of all manufactured housing residences were built in rural areas of the country. Older adults in rural areas face many of the same challenges as those in urban and suburban areas, but in many cases those challenges are exacerbated by differences in demographics, economic conditions, infrastructure, and density. While many rural older adults prefer to “age in place,” their communities often lack residential options. Housing-burdened individuals have little access to affordable rental properties, which are more limited in rural than urban areas. Federal rental-assistance programs are a critical source of help for low-income individuals and families. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is the nation’s key policy tool supporting new construction and preservation of affordable rental housing.
