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$3,635/mo · 44.4% of median income
Lightest renter burdenIowa$1,026/mo · 16.8% 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 | $3,635 | $43,620 | $98,317 | 44.4% | 33.1% | +11.94% |
| 2 | Florida | $1,963 | $23,556 | $71,711 | 32.8% | 34.5% | +1.10% |
| 3 | Mississippi | $1,466 | $17,592 | $54,915 | 32.0% | 30.3% | +1.60% |
| 4 | New Mexico | $1,632 | $19,584 | $62,125 | 31.5% | 29.8% | +18.64% |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $2,172 | $26,064 | $86,372 | 30.2% | 29.0% | +3.46% |
| 6 | Nevada | $1,859 | $22,308 | $75,561 | 29.5% | 32.3% | +5.80% |
| 7 | California | $2,361 | $28,332 | $96,334 | 29.4% | 32.5% | +3.21% |
| 8 | Maine | $1,730 | $20,760 | $71,773 | 28.9% | 28.9% | +3.09% |
| 9 | Montana | $1,647 | $19,764 | $69,922 | 28.3% | 28.0% | +2.44% |
| 10 | Connecticut | $2,187 | $26,244 | $93,760 | 28.0% | 30.7% | +2.97% |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $2,356 | $28,272 | $101,341 | 27.9% | 30.5% | +2.88% |
| 12 | South Carolina | $1,535 | $18,420 | $66,818 | 27.6% | 30.5% | +2.40% |
| 13 | Vermont | $1,775 | $21,300 | $78,024 | 27.3% | 30.3% | -1.51% |
| 14 | Colorado | $2,096 | $25,152 | $92,470 | 27.2% | 31.1% | -2.55% |
| 15 | North Carolina | $1,567 | $18,804 | $69,904 | 26.9% | 29.0% | +3.54% |
| 16 | Delaware | $1,842 | $22,104 | $82,855 | 26.7% | 29.6% | +3.72% |
| 17 | Alaska | $1,958 | $23,496 | $89,336 | 26.3% | 28.2% | +16.27% |
| 18 | Louisiana | $1,292 | $15,504 | $60,023 | 25.8% | 32.3% | +1.53% |
| 19 | Alabama | $1,333 | $15,996 | $62,027 | 25.8% | 29.4% | +1.61% |
| 20 | Arizona | $1,636 | $19,632 | $76,872 | 25.5% | 30.2% | -0.31% |
| 21 | Idaho | $1,588 | $19,056 | $74,636 | 25.5% | 28.4% | +11.15% |
| 22 | New Jersey | $2,139 | $25,668 | $101,050 | 25.4% | 30.4% | +3.26% |
| 23 | Wyoming | $1,568 | $18,816 | $74,815 | 25.2% | 27.2% | +3.33% |
| 24 | Oregon | $1,653 | $19,836 | $80,426 | 24.7% | 30.9% | +1.04% |
| 25 | West Virginia | $1,188 | $14,256 | $57,917 | 24.6% | 29.3% | +3.21% |
| 26 | Utah | $1,856 | $22,272 | $91,750 | 24.3% | 28.5% | +4.07% |
| 27 | Kentucky | $1,244 | $14,928 | $62,417 | 23.9% | 27.8% | +1.95% |
| 28 | Tennessee | $1,333 | $15,996 | $67,097 | 23.8% | 29.2% | -4.34% |
| 29 | Georgia | $1,469 | $17,628 | $74,664 | 23.6% | 30.8% | -1.34% |
| 30 | Arkansas | $1,153 | $13,836 | $58,773 | 23.5% | 27.6% | -2.05% |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $1,864 | $22,368 | $95,628 | 23.4% | 29.2% | -0.81% |
| 32 | Michigan | $1,368 | $16,416 | $71,149 | 23.1% | 29.8% | +4.88% |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $1,189 | $14,268 | $63,603 | 22.4% | 28.1% | +3.06% |
| 34 | Washington | $1,766 | $21,192 | $94,952 | 22.3% | 29.7% | +3.02% |
| 35 | New York | $1,569 | $18,828 | $84,578 | 22.3% | 30.9% | +0.04% |
| 36 | Texas | $1,395 | $16,740 | $76,292 | 21.9% | 30.4% | +1.10% |
| 37 | Virginia | $1,597 | $19,164 | $90,974 | 21.1% | 29.2% | +0.21% |
| 38 | Nebraska | $1,297 | $15,564 | $74,985 | 20.8% | 27.4% | +0.25% |
| 39 | Maryland | $1,748 | $20,976 | $101,652 | 20.6% | 30.6% | +1.62% |
| 40 | South Dakota | $1,237 | $14,844 | $72,421 | 20.5% | 25.3% | +6.38% |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | $1,267 | $15,204 | $76,081 | 20.0% | 29.0% | -0.06% |
| 42 | Missouri | $1,138 | $13,656 | $68,920 | 19.8% | 27.9% | +1.68% |
| 43 | Ohio | $1,122 | $13,464 | $69,680 | 19.3% | 28.0% | -1.20% |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $1,217 | $14,604 | $75,670 | 19.3% | 26.9% | +2.38% |
| 45 | Indiana | $1,111 | $13,332 | $70,051 | 19.0% | 28.9% | +1.09% |
| 46 | North Dakota | $1,180 | $14,160 | $75,949 | 18.6% | 24.8% | +2.30% |
| 47 | Minnesota | $1,275 | $15,300 | $87,556 | 17.5% | 28.9% | +0.53% |
| 48 | Kansas | $1,041 | $12,492 | $72,639 | 17.2% | 27.0% | +1.23% |
| 49 | Illinois | $1,161 | $13,932 | $81,702 | 17.1% | 28.8% | +0.06% |
| 50 | Iowa | $1,026 | $12,312 | $73,147 | 16.8% | 27.2% | -7.25% |
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.