Renter Cost Burden by State
HUD's threshold: rent over 30% of gross income = "cost burdened." Over 50% = "severely cost burdened." This page composites Zillow's metro-mean rent index with ACS median household income to show where renters are hardest squeezed in 2026, paired with rent YoY trajectory and ACS census-reported burdened share.
Heaviest renter burdenHawaii$3,687/mo · 45.0% of median income
Lightest renter burdenIllinois$1,137/mo · 16.7% of median income
States above HUD 30% threshold5of 50 states
States ranked by renter cost burden
Burden share = annual rent ÷ median household income. ACS census-reported share is the share of state renter households actually paying ≥30% — useful as a sanity check on the ZORI-vs-state-median composite.
| # | State | Monthly Rent (ZORI) | Annual Rent | Median Income | ZORI / Income | ACS % Burdened | Rent YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $3,687 | $44,244 | $98,317 | 45.0% | 33.1% | +13.05% |
| 2 | Mississippi | $1,489 | $17,868 | $54,915 | 32.5% | 30.3% | +2.89% |
| 3 | Florida | $1,936 | $23,232 | $71,711 | 32.4% | 34.5% | +0.39% |
| 4 | New Mexico | $1,574 | $18,888 | $62,125 | 30.4% | 29.8% | +14.54% |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $2,163 | $25,956 | $86,372 | 30.1% | 29.0% | +3.66% |
| 6 | Nevada | $1,833 | $21,996 | $75,561 | 29.1% | 32.3% | +5.56% |
| 7 | Maine | $1,729 | $20,748 | $71,773 | 28.9% | 28.9% | +3.77% |
| 8 | California | $2,311 | $27,732 | $96,334 | 28.8% | 32.5% | -0.07% |
| 9 | Montana | $1,644 | $19,728 | $69,922 | 28.2% | 28.0% | +2.84% |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $2,364 | $28,368 | $101,341 | 28.0% | 30.5% | +3.71% |
| 11 | South Carolina | $1,535 | $18,420 | $66,818 | 27.6% | 30.5% | +1.95% |
| 12 | Connecticut | $2,153 | $25,836 | $93,760 | 27.6% | 30.7% | +2.39% |
| 13 | Colorado | $2,104 | $25,248 | $92,470 | 27.3% | 31.1% | -2.16% |
| 14 | Delaware | $1,840 | $22,080 | $82,855 | 26.6% | 29.6% | +4.21% |
| 15 | Vermont | $1,727 | $20,724 | $78,024 | 26.6% | 30.3% | -4.63% |
| 16 | Arizona | $1,673 | $20,076 | $76,872 | 26.1% | 30.2% | +1.53% |
| 17 | Alabama | $1,339 | $16,068 | $62,027 | 25.9% | 29.4% | +1.92% |
| 18 | Oregon | $1,733 | $20,796 | $80,426 | 25.9% | 30.9% | +5.51% |
| 19 | New Jersey | $2,158 | $25,896 | $101,050 | 25.6% | 30.4% | +1.98% |
| 20 | Alaska | $1,896 | $22,752 | $89,336 | 25.5% | 28.2% | +12.58% |
| 21 | North Carolina | $1,480 | $17,760 | $69,904 | 25.4% | 29.0% | -1.70% |
| 22 | Wyoming | $1,576 | $18,912 | $74,815 | 25.3% | 27.2% | +1.23% |
| 23 | Louisiana | $1,258 | $15,096 | $60,023 | 25.2% | 32.3% | +0.14% |
| 24 | Idaho | $1,559 | $18,708 | $74,636 | 25.1% | 28.4% | +11.09% |
| 25 | Tennessee | $1,394 | $16,728 | $67,097 | 24.9% | 29.2% | -0.37% |
| 26 | West Virginia | $1,188 | $14,256 | $57,917 | 24.6% | 29.3% | +3.86% |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $1,960 | $23,520 | $95,628 | 24.6% | 29.2% | +4.64% |
| 28 | Utah | $1,840 | $22,080 | $91,750 | 24.1% | 28.5% | +3.47% |
| 29 | Georgia | $1,472 | $17,664 | $74,664 | 23.7% | 30.8% | -0.90% |
| 30 | Kentucky | $1,227 | $14,724 | $62,417 | 23.6% | 27.8% | +1.28% |
| 31 | Michigan | $1,364 | $16,368 | $71,149 | 23.0% | 29.8% | +4.73% |
| 32 | Arkansas | $1,118 | $13,416 | $58,773 | 22.8% | 27.6% | -2.90% |
| 33 | New York | $1,565 | $18,780 | $84,578 | 22.2% | 30.9% | +0.53% |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $1,169 | $14,028 | $63,603 | 22.1% | 28.1% | +2.04% |
| 35 | Washington | $1,743 | $20,916 | $94,952 | 22.0% | 29.7% | +2.91% |
| 36 | Texas | $1,387 | $16,644 | $76,292 | 21.8% | 30.4% | +0.05% |
| 37 | Virginia | $1,593 | $19,116 | $90,974 | 21.0% | 29.2% | +0.38% |
| 38 | Maryland | $1,737 | $20,844 | $101,652 | 20.5% | 30.6% | +1.16% |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $1,282 | $15,384 | $76,081 | 20.2% | 29.0% | +1.23% |
| 40 | Nebraska | $1,247 | $14,964 | $74,985 | 20.0% | 27.4% | -2.07% |
| 41 | Missouri | $1,145 | $13,740 | $68,920 | 19.9% | 27.9% | +2.53% |
| 42 | Ohio | $1,140 | $13,680 | $69,680 | 19.6% | 28.0% | +3.88% |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $1,212 | $14,544 | $75,670 | 19.2% | 26.9% | +1.70% |
| 44 | South Dakota | $1,157 | $13,884 | $72,421 | 19.2% | 25.3% | +0.45% |
| 45 | Indiana | $1,115 | $13,380 | $70,051 | 19.1% | 28.9% | +2.40% |
| 46 | North Dakota | $1,160 | $13,920 | $75,949 | 18.3% | 24.8% | +2.67% |
| 47 | Minnesota | $1,309 | $15,708 | $87,556 | 17.9% | 28.9% | +0.31% |
| 48 | Kansas | $1,037 | $12,444 | $72,639 | 17.1% | 27.0% | +4.79% |
| 49 | Iowa | $1,019 | $12,228 | $73,147 | 16.7% | 27.2% | -8.07% |
| 50 | Illinois | $1,137 | $13,644 | $81,702 | 16.7% | 28.8% | -0.85% |
Method
- Monthly rent = Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), state-level mean of metros. Methodology favors typical-home rents (smoothed, not raw).
- Median household income = ACS 5-year. Includes all households, renters and owners. The renter-only median is generally 30-40% lower; this composite reads the high end of true renter burden.
- HUD threshold = 30% of gross income spent on rent + utilities. This page uses rent only; add ~$100-250/mo utilities for a true HUD comparison.
- ACS Census burden % = state share of renter households reporting ≥30% rent-burden in ACS B25070. Use as cross-check.
Sources: Zillow ZORI, U.S. Census ACS, HUD.