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$3,102/mo · 37.9% of median income
Lightest renter burdenIllinois$1,126/mo · 16.5% 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 | $3,102 | $37,224 | $98,317 | 37.9% | 33.1% | +6.09% |
| 2 | Florida | $1,926 | $23,112 | $71,711 | 32.2% | 34.5% | +1.24% |
| 3 | New Mexico | $1,575 | $18,900 | $62,125 | 30.4% | 29.8% | +14.77% |
| 4 | Nevada | $1,904 | $22,848 | $75,561 | 30.2% | 32.3% | +2.00% |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $2,167 | $26,004 | $86,372 | 30.1% | 29.0% | +4.25% |
| 6 | Mississippi | $1,352 | $16,224 | $54,915 | 29.5% | 30.3% | -3.85% |
| 7 | California | $2,365 | $28,380 | $96,334 | 29.5% | 32.5% | +2.78% |
| 8 | Maine | $1,729 | $20,748 | $71,773 | 28.9% | 28.9% | +3.22% |
| 9 | Montana | $1,651 | $19,812 | $69,922 | 28.3% | 28.0% | +3.15% |
| 10 | Connecticut | $2,195 | $26,340 | $93,760 | 28.1% | 30.7% | +3.58% |
| 11 | Alaska | $2,048 | $24,576 | $89,336 | 27.5% | 28.2% | +17.77% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $2,312 | $27,744 | $101,341 | 27.4% | 30.5% | +2.24% |
| 13 | South Carolina | $1,520 | $18,240 | $66,818 | 27.3% | 30.5% | +1.19% |
| 14 | Delaware | $1,882 | $22,584 | $82,855 | 27.3% | 29.6% | +4.25% |
| 15 | Colorado | $2,083 | $24,996 | $92,470 | 27.0% | 31.1% | -3.48% |
| 16 | Vermont | $1,756 | $21,072 | $78,024 | 27.0% | 30.3% | -7.81% |
| 17 | North Carolina | $1,548 | $18,576 | $69,904 | 26.6% | 29.0% | +3.12% |
| 18 | Alabama | $1,335 | $16,020 | $62,027 | 25.8% | 29.4% | +3.13% |
| 19 | Idaho | $1,602 | $19,224 | $74,636 | 25.8% | 28.4% | +11.86% |
| 20 | Oregon | $1,724 | $20,688 | $80,426 | 25.7% | 30.9% | +5.03% |
| 21 | Arizona | $1,618 | $19,416 | $76,872 | 25.3% | 30.2% | -1.26% |
| 22 | Wyoming | $1,573 | $18,876 | $74,815 | 25.2% | 27.2% | +3.31% |
| 23 | Louisiana | $1,260 | $15,120 | $60,023 | 25.2% | 32.3% | +2.24% |
| 24 | New Jersey | $2,063 | $24,756 | $101,050 | 24.5% | 30.4% | +5.67% |
| 25 | Tennessee | $1,366 | $16,392 | $67,097 | 24.4% | 29.2% | -0.83% |
| 26 | West Virginia | $1,151 | $13,812 | $57,917 | 23.8% | 29.3% | +4.03% |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $1,887 | $22,644 | $95,628 | 23.7% | 29.2% | -1.98% |
| 28 | Utah | $1,809 | $21,708 | $91,750 | 23.7% | 28.5% | +2.63% |
| 29 | Georgia | $1,472 | $17,664 | $74,664 | 23.7% | 30.8% | -0.65% |
| 30 | Arkansas | $1,127 | $13,524 | $58,773 | 23.0% | 27.6% | -2.71% |
| 31 | Kentucky | $1,180 | $14,160 | $62,417 | 22.7% | 27.8% | +0.29% |
| 32 | New York | $1,593 | $19,116 | $84,578 | 22.6% | 30.9% | +0.86% |
| 33 | Washington | $1,756 | $21,072 | $94,952 | 22.2% | 29.7% | +2.78% |
| 34 | Michigan | $1,313 | $15,756 | $71,149 | 22.1% | 29.8% | +3.69% |
| 35 | Texas | $1,386 | $16,632 | $76,292 | 21.8% | 30.4% | +2.43% |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $1,153 | $13,836 | $63,603 | 21.8% | 28.1% | -1.49% |
| 37 | Nebraska | $1,303 | $15,636 | $74,985 | 20.9% | 27.4% | -1.92% |
| 38 | South Dakota | $1,251 | $15,012 | $72,421 | 20.7% | 25.3% | +4.64% |
| 39 | Maryland | $1,751 | $21,012 | $101,652 | 20.7% | 30.6% | +1.70% |
| 40 | Virginia | $1,564 | $18,768 | $90,974 | 20.6% | 29.2% | +3.60% |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | $1,277 | $15,324 | $76,081 | 20.1% | 29.0% | -0.41% |
| 42 | Ohio | $1,166 | $13,992 | $69,680 | 20.1% | 28.0% | -0.68% |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $1,258 | $15,096 | $75,670 | 19.9% | 26.9% | +4.17% |
| 44 | Indiana | $1,149 | $13,788 | $70,051 | 19.7% | 28.9% | +1.93% |
| 45 | Missouri | $1,126 | $13,512 | $68,920 | 19.6% | 27.9% | +1.53% |
| 46 | North Dakota | $1,168 | $14,016 | $75,949 | 18.5% | 24.8% | +2.60% |
| 47 | Minnesota | $1,273 | $15,276 | $87,556 | 17.4% | 28.9% | +1.50% |
| 48 | Kansas | $1,054 | $12,648 | $72,639 | 17.4% | 27.0% | +1.19% |
| 49 | Iowa | $1,056 | $12,672 | $73,147 | 17.3% | 27.2% | -1.95% |
| 50 | Illinois | $1,126 | $13,512 | $81,702 | 16.5% | 28.8% | -1.04% |
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.