This dataset contains metrics presented in The American Affordability Tracker, an Urban Institute data tool. The tool was first published in October 2025; both the tool and this catalog page will be updated as new data are available. 

The tool contains information derived from multiple data sources. For more information, please see our technical appendix. Metrics are displayed in separate .csv files by category and level of geography. All metrics are available at the national and state level. Where available, we provide data by congressional district using the boundaries as of the start of the 119th Congress for all years. For example, we report the 2020 credit card delinquency rate for Maryland’s Third District based on the 119th Congress boundaries—even if some residents were in different districts at that time. Data for some congressional districts may not be available. 

The data-dictionary.csv file describes the content of each file in this catalog entry and provides variable definitions for cost and distress metrics in the data tool. id-vars-dictionary.csv describes variables used to identify geographies and time across each metric.

Please contact [email protected] for more information about this tool.