New findings from the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) identifies U.S. counties expected to face high housing stress in 2025. High housing stress is defined as areas where at least 29% of homes face serious challenges, including overcrowding, high costs, and lack of basic kitchen or plumbing facilities. The data reveals widespread housing stress in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, with western states showing concentrated patterns of high stress. Prominent metro clusters include the New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami areas. High stress non-metro counties are especially concentrated in California’s Central Valley, southern Texas, rural Mississippi, and Alabama.