diff --git a/arch/arc/core/thread.c b/arch/arc/core/thread.c
index 59f28181f63..bf7e31851ce 100644
--- a/arch/arc/core/thread.c
+++ b/arch/arc/core/thread.c
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ void _new_thread(struct k_thread *thread, k_thread_stack_t *stack,
 	_ASSERT_VALID_PRIO(priority, pEntry);
 
 	char *stackEnd;
+	char *stackAdjEnd;
 	struct init_stack_frame *pInitCtx;
 
 #if CONFIG_USERSPACE
@@ -101,8 +102,18 @@ void _new_thread(struct k_thread *thread, k_thread_stack_t *stack,
 #endif
 	_new_thread_init(thread, pStackMem, stackSize, priority, options);
 
+	stackAdjEnd = stackEnd;
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA
+	/* reserve stack space for the userspace local data struct */
+	stackAdjEnd = (char *)STACK_ROUND_DOWN(stackEnd
+		- sizeof(*thread->userspace_local_data));
+	thread->userspace_local_data =
+		(struct _thread_userspace_local_data *)stackAdjEnd;
+#endif
+
 	/* carve the thread entry struct from the "base" of the stack */
-	pInitCtx = (struct init_stack_frame *)(STACK_ROUND_DOWN(stackEnd) -
+	pInitCtx = (struct init_stack_frame *)(STACK_ROUND_DOWN(stackAdjEnd) -
 				       sizeof(struct init_stack_frame));
 #if CONFIG_USERSPACE
 	if (options & K_USER) {
diff --git a/include/kernel.h b/include/kernel.h
index 25c82aee51b..da8ed7243aa 100644
--- a/include/kernel.h
+++ b/include/kernel.h
@@ -503,6 +503,12 @@ struct _mem_domain_info {
 
 #endif /* CONFIG_USERSPACE */
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA
+struct _thread_userspace_local_data {
+	int errno_var;
+};
+#endif
+
 /**
  * @ingroup thread_apis
  * Thread Structure
@@ -538,14 +544,12 @@ struct k_thread {
 	void *custom_data;
 #endif
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA
+	struct _thread_userspace_local_data *userspace_local_data;
+#endif
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_ERRNO
-#ifdef CONFIG_USERSPACE
-	/* Set to the lowest area in the thread stack since this needs to
-	 * be directly read/writable by user mode. Not ideal, but best we
-	 * can do until we have thread-local storage
-	 */
-	int *errno_location;
-#else
+#ifndef CONFIG_USERSPACE
 	/** per-thread errno variable */
 	int errno_var;
 #endif
diff --git a/kernel/Kconfig b/kernel/Kconfig
index 498339adb25..ffc41a6ddc4 100644
--- a/kernel/Kconfig
+++ b/kernel/Kconfig
@@ -164,9 +164,19 @@ config  THREAD_CUSTOM_DATA
 	  This option allows each thread to store 32 bits of custom data,
 	  which can be accessed using the k_thread_custom_data_xxx() APIs.
 
+config THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA
+	bool
+	depends on USERSPACE
+
+config THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA_ARCH_DEFER_SETUP
+	bool
+	depends on THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA
+	default y if ARCH="arc"
+
 config ERRNO
 	bool "Enable errno support"
 	default y
+	select THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA if USERSPACE
 	help
 	  Enable per-thread errno in the kernel. Application and library code must
 	  include errno.h provided by the C library (libc) to use the errno
diff --git a/kernel/errno.c b/kernel/errno.c
index 43268ff8f54..070ec0ae35f 100644
--- a/kernel/errno.c
+++ b/kernel/errno.c
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ int *_impl_z_errno(void)
 	/* Initialized to the lowest address in the stack so the thread can
 	 * directly read/write it
 	 */
-	return _current->errno_location;
+	return &_current->userspace_local_data->errno_var;
 }
 
 Z_SYSCALL_HANDLER0_SIMPLE(z_errno);
diff --git a/kernel/thread.c b/kernel/thread.c
index 4e7c1ec30ba..78a8296f7ea 100644
--- a/kernel/thread.c
+++ b/kernel/thread.c
@@ -294,8 +294,28 @@ void _setup_new_thread(struct k_thread *new_thread,
 {
 	stack_size = adjust_stack_size(stack_size);
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA
+#ifndef CONFIG_THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA_ARCH_DEFER_SETUP
+	/* reserve space on top of stack for local data */
+	stack_size = STACK_ROUND_DOWN(stack_size
+			- sizeof(*new_thread->userspace_local_data));
+#endif
+#endif
+
 	_new_thread(new_thread, stack, stack_size, entry, p1, p2, p3,
 		    prio, options);
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA
+#ifndef CONFIG_THREAD_USERSPACE_LOCAL_DATA_ARCH_DEFER_SETUP
+	/* don't set again if the arch's own code in _new_thread() has
+	 * already set the pointer.
+	 */
+	new_thread->userspace_local_data =
+		(struct _thread_userspace_local_data *)
+		(K_THREAD_STACK_BUFFER(stack) + stack_size);
+#endif
+#endif
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_THREAD_MONITOR
 	new_thread->entry.pEntry = entry;
 	new_thread->entry.parameter1 = p1;
@@ -312,7 +332,6 @@ void _setup_new_thread(struct k_thread *new_thread,
 	_k_object_init(new_thread);
 	_k_object_init(stack);
 	new_thread->stack_obj = stack;
-	new_thread->errno_location = (int *)K_THREAD_STACK_BUFFER(stack);
 
 	/* Any given thread has access to itself */
 	k_object_access_grant(new_thread, new_thread);