How much do households in the United States spend on rent?
Data updated September 16, 2024
About $1.3K 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 decreasing 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 rent to median renter household income, 2022
In 2023, median rent in Puerto Rico was $535 per month, the lowest among all states and Washington, DC. Median monthly renter household income was $1.34K, resulting in the least affordable rental market based on 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. | Florida | $4,210 |
| 10. | Georgia | $3,938 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
United States Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program and 2 others
