How much do households in the United States spend on rent?
About $1,300 per month, or 31.7% of their income, in 2022. This is measured by comparing median rent and median monthly income for renting households.
Showing data for
In 2022, median rent was
31.7%
of median income
In 2022,
$1.3K
was the median rent per month
Comparing rent to renter income provides one measure of rental affordability. Dividing rent by income provides what is called a rent-to-income ratio. A higher ratio of rent-to-income indicates rent is less affordable while a lower ratio indicates it’s more affordable.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households with a rent-to-income ratio of more than 30%, that is, households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing, to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings. When median monthly rent is more than 30% of median monthly income, it means a typical household would meet the definition of housing cost-burdened.
Median rent was 31.7% of the median household income in 2022.
Ratio of median rent to median renter household income
The national rent-to-income ratio reached a high of 33.8% in 2011 following the Great Recession. It was 31.7% in 2022 after changing -0.1 percentage points from the previous year.
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The ratio of median rent to median income varies throughout the United States. It was highest in Puerto Rico (39.8%) and Florida (36.2%) and lowest in North Dakota (23.5%) and Wyoming (24.8%).
Compared to income, rent was highest in Puerto Rico in 2022.
Ratio of median gross rent to median renter household income, 2022
That year, median rent in Puerto Rico was $535 per month, the lowest of all 50 states plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Median monthly renter household income was $1,343, resulting in the least affordable rental market and a 39.8% rent-to-income ratio.
Renter income and rent, by state (2022)
| 1. | Alabama | $2,842 |
| 2. | Alaska | $5,174 |
| 3. | Arizona | $4,520 |
| 4. | Arkansas | $2,957 |
| 5. | California | $5,422 |
| 6. | Colorado | $5,029 |
| 7. | Connecticut | $3,926 |
| 8. | Delaware | $4,203 |
| 9. | District of Columbia | $6,243 |
| 10. | Florida | $4,210 |
