We appreciate you taking the time to help America’s Health Rankings better understand our audiences. Your feedback will allow us to optimize our website and provide you with additional resources in the future. Thank you.
Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
New Mexico Value:
Percentage of one- and two-person households inhabited by adults age 62 or older with at least one of the following problems: lack of complete kitchen facilities, lack of plumbing facilities, overcrowding or cost-burdened occupants
New Mexico Rank:
Percentage of one- and two-person households inhabited by adults age 62 or older with at least one of the following problems: lack of complete kitchen facilities, lack of plumbing facilities, overcrowding or cost-burdened occupants
19.4% - 25.9%
26.0% - 27.8%
27.9% - 30.2%
30.3% - 35.2%
35.3% - 43.0%
US Value: 32.5%
Top State(s): West Virginia: 19.4%
Bottom State(s): California: 43.0%
Definition: Percentage of one- and two-person households inhabited by adults age 62 or older with at least one of the following problems: lack of complete kitchen facilities, lack of plumbing facilities, overcrowding or cost-burdened occupants
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy, 2018-2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Housing and neighborhood environment are social determinants of health that influence health inequities. Older adults, who often have preexisting health conditions and spend a great deal of time at home, are the most vulnerable to the effects of poor housing. Poor housing quality may cause injury or disease, while other housing-related factors such as neighborhood environment and overcrowding can negatively affect mental and physical health.
Lead paint, allergens, water leaks, poor ventilation and inadequate heating, cooling or plumbing are all home health hazards that can lead to poor respiratory health and increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions. Overcrowding, defined as having more than one person per room in a residence, is associated with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, as well as mental and emotional distress among both adults and children.
Housing costs and affordability among older adults are of particular concern. Cost-burdened households may have difficulty affording other basic needs such as health care, food and heat.
Populations at greater risk of experiencing severe housing problems include low-income families and individuals and racial and ethnic minorities. Cost burden increases with age as people retire and transition to fixed incomes, putting older adults at higher risk for severe housing problems — particularly renters, who are more likely to be cost-burdened than those who own their homes.
Increasing affordable housing options through state and local housing development policies, rental vouchers and subsidized housing programs can help cost-burdened individuals afford housing and achieve better health. More collaboration between the housing and public health sectors is needed to promote healthy home environments and better integrate health care into housing regulation and development, particularly for those with complex health needs.
Evidence supports various interventions to prevent and minimize the impact of housing problems on health. Healthy Homes programs at the state and local levels have improved health by remedying hazardous housing conditions such as lead exposure, inadequate ventilation and excess moisture. The National Low Income Housing Coalition offers additional advocacy resources and policy priorities related to housing challenges.
Healthy People 2030 has multiple goals related to housing, including reducing the proportion of families who spend more than 30% of their income on housing and increasing the number of states and territories that prohibit smoking in multiunit housing.
Berlin, Loren, ed. Housing America’s Older Adults 2023. Cambridge, MA: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2023. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_Housing_Americas_Older_Adults_2023.pdf.
Berlin, Loren, ed. The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025. Cambridge, MA: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2025. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_The_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2025.pdf.
Braveman, Paula, Mercedes Dekker, Susan Egerter, Tabashir Sadegh-Nobari, and Craig Pollack. Housing and Health. Exploring the Social Determinants of Health: Issue Brief #7. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America, May 2011. https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2011/05/housing-and-health.html.
Donald, Ian P. “Housing and Health Care for Older People.” Age and Ageing 38, no. 4 (July 1, 2009): 364–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afp060.
Gibson, Marcia, Mark Petticrew, Clare Bambra, Amanda J. Sowden, Kath E. Wright, and Margaret Whitehead. “Housing and Health Inequalities: A Synthesis of Systematic Reviews of Interventions Aimed at Different Pathways Linking Housing and Health.” Health & Place 17, no. 1 (January 2011): 175–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.09.011.
Pollack, Craig, Susan Egerter, Tabashir Sadegh-Nobari, Mercedes Dekker, and Paula Braveman. Where We Live Matters for Our Health: The Links Between Housing and Health. Issue Brief 2: Housing and Health. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America, September 2008. http://www.commissiononhealth.org/PDF/e6244e9e-f630-4285-9ad7-16016dd7e493/Issue Brief 2 Sept 08 - Housing and Health.pdf.
Sandel, Megan, and Matthew Desmond. “Investing in Housing for Health Improves Both Mission and Margin.” JAMA 318, no. 23 (December 19, 2017): 2291–92. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.15771.
Swope, Carolyn B., and Diana Hernández. “Housing as a Determinant of Health Equity: A Conceptual Model.” Social Science & Medicine 243 (December 2019): 112571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112571.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2009.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44199/.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
