How many renters in Forest, VA pay more than 30% of their income on rent?

Name: Rent burden in Forest, VA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

51.6% (±16.6 points) of renting households in Forest, VA spend 30% or more of their household income on gross rent (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

42.9% spend 35% or more.

The median renting household spends 30.9% of its income on rent.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Paying 30% or more: 51.6% (±16.6 points)
Paying 35% or more: 42.9% (±14.1 points)
Median share of income: 30.9% (±7.4 points)

Rent as a share of income in Forest

Renting households by gross rent as a percentage of household income, 2020–2024
Share of income spent on rent	Forest	Bedford County	Virginia	United States
Less than 15%	9.4% (±5.6 points)	20.8%	13.1%	12.6%
15% to 19.9%	9.5% (±5.3 points)	10.8%	13.1%	12.2%
20% to 24.9%	18.5% (±11.3 points)	12.6%	12.9%	12.6%
25% to 29.9%	11.0% (±7.2 points)	10.9%	12.4%	11.5%
30% to 34.9%	8.7% (±8.7 points)	4.6%	9.1%	9.2%
35% or more	42.9% (±14.1 points)	40.4%	39.4%	41.9%

Households whose income could not be measured against their rent (for example, those reporting no income) are left out of these shares, as the Census Bureau leaves them out.

Forest against Bedford County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Forest	Bedford County	Virginia	United States
Paying 30% or more	51.6% (±16.6 points)	45.0% (±6.5 points)	48.5% (±0.5 points)	51.1%
Paying 35% or more	42.9% (±14.1 points)	40.4% (±6.0 points)	39.4% (±0.4 points)	41.9%
Median share of income	30.9% (±7.4 points)	27.7% (±3.1 points)	29.4% (±0.2 points)	30.6%
Median renter household income	$54,105 (±$16,038)	$42,487 (±$5,198)	$60,343 (±$529)	$52,966
Median gross rent	$1,315 (±$103)	$952 (±$48)	$1,579 (±$8)	$1,413

In Forest, the share of renters paying 30% or more of income is not measurably different from Bedford County (45.0%).

It is not measurably different from Virginia (48.5%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (51.1%).

Statewide, it ranks 152 of 459.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

Renters paying 30% or more of income in places near Forest

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Forest
Place	Distance	Renters paying 30% or more of income	Compared with this place
Forest	—	51.6% (±16.6 points)	—
Timberlake	4.3 mi	29.4% (±8.5 points)	Lower
Lynchburg	4.8 mi	51.6% (±4.5 points)	Not measurably different
Madison Heights	11 mi	42.6% (±11.8 points)	Not measurably different
Rustburg	12 mi	62.4% (±44.4 points)	Not measurably different
Bedford	13 mi	41.9% (±13.4 points)	Not measurably different
Concord	16 mi	0.0% (±33.2 points)	Lower
Altavista	17 mi	45.3% (±22.1 points)	Not measurably different
Amherst	19 mi	46.1% (±23.9 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Timberlake, VA (29.4%), Concord, VA (0.0%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Forest is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Forest

Are renters in Forest rent-burdened?

51.6% of renting households in Forest pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What share of income do renters in Forest spend on rent?

The median renting household in Forest, VA spends 30.9% (±7.4 points) of its household income on gross rent.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Forest CDP, Virginia (place:28688, in state:51).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0136E, DP04_0136M, DP04_0137PE, DP04_0137PM, DP04_0138PE, DP04_0138PM, DP04_0139PE, DP04_0139PM, DP04_0140PE, DP04_0140PM, DP04_0141PE, DP04_0141PM, DP04_0142PE, DP04_0142PM, B25071_001E, B25071_001M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.