Overcrowding
Overcrowding is defined here as having one or more persons per room.1 Overcrowding is connected with both physical illness, including communicable diseases, and mental stress.2
Key Findings
- While 7% of San Mateo County households experience overcrowding, 13% of renters and 3% of homeowners experience overcrowding.
- Daly City, Redwood City, west Menlo Park, and East Palo Alto had the highest percentages of overcrowded households, where more than 30% of households are overcrowded.
Methods
- Data were obtained from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates at American FactFinder.
- Data were cleaned and aggregated to determine the percentage of overcrowding at the census tract level.
- Data were mapped using ArcGIS for Desktop.
- Data included all households.
Limitations
- Approximately 295,000 households are selected to participate in the annual American Community Survey, or less than 1 percent of all households in the U.S.
- Data were estimates based on survey responses, and not actual counts.
- Estimates have some chance of error.