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America’s rental affordability crisis is no longer just squeezing the poorest households — it’s increasingly taking a bite out of middle-income earners, too.
More than 22.6 million renter households nationwide are spending over 30% of their income on housing, with roughly 12.1 million shelling out more than half their earnings just to keep a roof over their heads, according to a new analysis by Enterprise Community Partners.
The findings, based on the US Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, show that nearly half of American renters are now considered cost-burdened — even as rental prices showed signs of easing in 2024.
And while the lowest-income Americans remain the hardest hit, the financial strain is steadily spreading up the income ladder.
Renters earning between 60% and 80% of their area’s median income saw a 5% increase in their cost-burden rate compared with the previous year — the largest relative jump among income groups.
Meanwhile, households earning between 30% and 60% of area median income experienced a particularly troubling shift: The share spending more than half their income on housing climbed from 34% to 36% in just one year.
Even a six-figure salary doesn’t guarantee much breathing room in expensive rental markets. As The Post recently reported, a household earning $100,000 can afford just 801 square feet and one bedroom in the New York metro area, compared with a four-bedroom, 2,119-square-foot home in Memphis, Tenn., on the same budget.
For the nation’s poorest renters, the situation is even more dire.
Nearly three-quarters of households earning less than 30% of their area’s median income were severely cost-burdened, leaving little room in their budgets for groceries, transportation, medical bills or unexpected expenses.
The affordability crunch has persisted despite some relief in asking rents, with the share of cost-burdened households remaining above pre-pandemic levels.
Separate research from the Urban Institute found that 20% of renters ages 18 to 64 made partial or late rent payments at some point in 2025, with middle-income households increasingly struggling to keep up.
And the financial pressure extends beyond housing.
A Pew Research Center survey found that 21% of Americans had difficulty paying their rent or mortgage, while 27% reported being unable to cover all their monthly bills.
The burden also falls unevenly across racial and ethnic groups.
About 57% of black renter households and 54% of Hispanic or Latino renter households spent more than 30% of their income on housing, compared with 45% of white households and 44% of Asian households.
Nearly one-third of black renters and 29% of Hispanic renters spent more than half their income on rent.
For renters already stretching their paychecks, the consequences go well beyond the monthly rent bill.
High housing costs can make it harder to build emergency savings, put money aside for a down payment or cover other basic necessities — potentially pushing homeownership further out of reach.
The financial squeeze is also making it harder to escape the rental market. A recent study found that New Yorkers need an estimated three years and eight months to save for a 15% down payment on a typical home — nearly a year longer than the national average.
The growing financial strain comes as housing affordability nationwide may not return to 2018 levels until 2031, according to a Redfin analysis, with buyers in New York City and Long Island potentially facing an even longer wait.
Enterprise Community Partners called for expanding the supply of affordable housing, preserving existing rental units and strengthening rental assistance programs to ease the growing financial strain.