Growing up in a crowded home can have negative consequences on a child’s well-being. Crowded housing conditions can put stress on relationships between residents, and children may be particularly vulnerable to the lack of privacy and space in a crowded home.

An article I coauthored shows that living in a crowded home can negatively affect academic performance, educational outcomes, behavioral health, and physical health. But the field is lacking more robust and consistent evidence on crowding's effects, independent of socioeconomic conditions.

Households are becoming increasingly exposed to crowded housing conditions, with levels higher than those prior to the Great Recession. According to data from the American Community Survey, the share of households in renter-occupied units living in crowded housing conditions spiked from 5.5 percent in 2007 to 6.5 percent in 2010.

Read the full article about crowded housing by Claudia D. Solari at Urban Institute.