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Mapped: The Salary Needed to Afford Rent Across America
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Key Takeaways
- The average U.S. renter now needs nearly $70,000 a year to afford a modest two-bedroom rental while spending no more than 30% of income on housing.
- In California and Hawaii, renters need more than $100,000 annually to meet that affordability benchmark.
- More than half of U.S. renter households are now cost-burdened, spending over 30% of their income on housing.
A modest two-bedroom rental now requires nearly $70,000 a year in income to be considered affordable in the U.S.
Using data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, this map shows the salary needed to afford a two-bedroom rental in every state in 2025 while spending no more than 30% of income on housing and utilities.
The gap between wages and housing costs varies dramatically across the country. In some states, renters can meet the affordability benchmark on incomes below $40,000. In others, even six-figure salaries are barely enough to keep up with rent.
Where Rent Requires a Six-Figure Income
California and Hawaii are the only states where renters need more than $100,000 annually to afford a modest two-bedroom home.
New York and Massachusetts are close behind at roughly $96,000, underscoring how quickly housing costs can outpace incomes in the nation’s most expensive markets.
| Rank | State | Salary Needed to Afford Rent (2 bedroom) |
Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $103.2K | $49.61 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $102.3K | $49.19 |
| 3 | New York | $95.7K | $46.03 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $95.5K | $45.90 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $92.6K | $44.50 |
| 6 | Washington | $85.5K | $41.11 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $83.2K | $39.99 |
| 8 | Maryland | $81.4K | $39.15 |
| 9 | Florida | $77.5K | $37.27 |
| 10 | Colorado | $76.5K | $36.79 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $73.7K | $35.42 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $73.0K | $35.08 |
| 13 | Arizona | $71.1K | $34.18 |
| 14 | Virginia | $70.0K | $33.64 |
| 15 | Oregon | $68.7K | $33.02 |
| 16 | Nevada | $68.5K | $32.94 |
| 17 | Delaware | $66.9K | $32.18 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $66.0K | $31.71 |
| 19 | Illinois | $62.0K | $29.81 |
| 20 | Alaska | $61.8K | $29.73 |
| 21 | Vermont | $61.8K | $29.73 |
| 22 | Texas | $61.6K | $29.64 |
| 23 | Georgia | $61.3K | $29.46 |
| 24 | Utah | $60.9K | $29.29 |
| 25 | Montana | $60.3K | $28.99 |
| 26 | Maine | $59.1K | $28.42 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $58.7K | $28.23 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $57.9K | $27.83 |
| 29 | Idaho | $57.9K | $27.83 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $56.4K | $27.14 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $56.2K | $27.01 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $53.9K | $25.91 |
| 33 | Michigan | $50.9K | $24.46 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $48.2K | $23.18 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $48.2K | $23.15 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $47.6K | $22.88 |
| 37 | Ohio | $46.8K | $22.51 |
| 38 | Indiana | $46.1K | $22.18 |
| 39 | Missouri | $44.9K | $21.61 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $44.9K | $21.57 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $44.7K | $21.47 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $43.6K | $20.98 |
| 43 | Kansas | $43.4K | $20.87 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $43.2K | $20.79 |
| 45 | Alabama | $42.9K | $20.61 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $42.1K | $20.25 |
| 47 | Iowa | $41.6K | $19.99 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $40.5K | $19.47 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $39.5K | $18.98 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $39.4K | $18.96 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $39.4K | $18.94 |
| -- | U.S. Average | $69.9K | $33.63 |
State averages only tell part of the story. In some of America’s most expensive metro areas, the income needed to afford a modest rental climbs far beyond the six-figure threshold.
In parts of Santa Cruz County, renters need more than $168,000 annually to afford a modest two-bedroom home. In nearby San Jose, the threshold approaches $138,000, highlighting how housing costs can strain even highly paid workers.
The Most Affordable States for Renters
At the other end of the ranking, several Midwestern and Southern states require hourly wages of roughly $20 to meet the same affordability standard.
In Arkansas, West Virginia, and Mississippi, renters need less than half the income required in the most expensive states to afford a modest two-bedroom rental.
The affordability gap becomes even clearer when compared with local incomes. In West Virginia, the median household income is roughly $61,000, more than $20,000 above the state’s affordability threshold. Similar gaps exist in South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, and several other lower-cost states.
Over Half of U.S. Renters Are Cost-Burdened
A record 22.6 million renter households were cost-burdened in 2023, up 2.2 million since 2019.
Florida has the nation’s highest share of cost-burdened renters, with roughly 60% of households spending more than 30% of income on housing. Nevada (57%) and California (55%) also rank among the most stretched.
North Dakota and Alaska stand apart as the only states where fewer than four in 10 renter households are cost-burdened.
The result is a growing housing affordability challenge. In lower-cost states, median household incomes still comfortably exceed the salary needed to afford rent. In many high-cost states, however, renters increasingly need incomes once associated with upper-middle-class households just to secure a modest two-bedroom home.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic showing the salary needed to buy a home in each state.