The Rent Is Too Damn High: A State-by-State Breakdown
How housing costs outpaced wages in all 50 states over the last decade.
The Rent Is Too Damn High.
48 pages · PDF
50
States where rent outpaced wages over the decade
+$400
Typical rent increase over just two years
1 in 2
Renters now cost-burdened, paying 30%+ of income
How housing costs outpaced wages in all 50 states over the last decade. This report pulls together what families across the country are actually paying — and lays out where the system is failing them.
The squeeze on rent isn’t an accident or a force of nature. It’s the product of specific choices about how our economy works and who it works for. Understand the choices, and you can change them.
What we found
- Wage growth trailed rent growth in every single state we analyzed.
- The squeeze is worst for renters in fast-growing metros and rural towns alike.
- Underbuilding and investor-owned units concentrated the pressure on families.
My rent went up $400 in two years. My paycheck didn't. Now I'm choosing between rent and everything else.
— Maria G., Phoenix AZ
Methodology: figures shown are illustrative sample data for this design mockup. The published report draws on public price indexes, wage data, and first-hand accounts collected from families across all 50 states.
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