Energy burden: Exploring the intersection of race, income, and community characteristics across the United States

Household energy burden is a simple concept with complicated causes. Energy burden measures the percentage of income spent by a household on energy for heating, lighting, air conditioning, cooking, etc. Households with greater energy burdens may have to make tradeoffs between paying utility bills and medical, housing, or other expenses. Some limited quantitative and case study research indicates that underprivileged groups suffer larger energy burdens, often attributed to lower income levels. Our study is the first to examine the phenomenon nationally as well as investigate the drivers of energy burden on households across the United States. Our examination of energy burden across all measurable census tracts in the United States (n = 64,835) finds that even when accounting for income, majority African American census tracts face significantly increased average energy burden with largely Latinx census tracts less challenged. To explore this social occurrence, we examine the intersectionality of race, income, and structural challenges in these neighborhoods. We find that average building age and homeownership rates impact energy burden and are two factors that overburden African American households. We discuss some historical and programmatic factors that our analysis points to as potential causal mechanisms for the higher energy burden in African American communities. The goal of a just energy transition to lower carbon emissions requires that policymakers understand that energy burden is not simply a matter of income, but a complex set of historical and structural causes that face households with multiple vulnerabilities.