Top 50 U.S. States by Rent Burden (Rent-to-Income %), 2025

by StatRanker January 20, 2026 404 11 min read

Cities, Urban Life & Quality of Living Economy & Living Standards Reference: 2025 edition

This ranking shows where renting is most financially stretched across the United States. We compute a state “rent burden rate” from the American Community Survey (ACS) distribution for Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income (GRAPI) among renter households with computable GRAPI. The headline metric is the share spending 30% or more of household income on gross rent.

Disclaimer

This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial, legal, tax, or housing advice. Housing costs and incomes differ by household and market conditions. Consider professional guidance and local housing resources before major decisions.

Key takeaways

Highest rent-burdened state

Florida · 62.1%

Share paying ≥30% of income on rent

Next highest

Nevada · 57.6%

Large severe-side component

Large high-cost markets

California · 55.8% · Hawaii · 55.0%

High pressure across many renters

Lowest rent-burdened state

North Dakota · 36.2%

Still significant: >1 in 3 renters

It isn’t only “coastal.” Several Sun Belt states rank near the top, consistent with rapid rent growth and uneven income gains.
Watch the “severe-side” share. A high 35%+ component suggests deeper stress for the most stretched renter households.
Use the metric as a distribution signal. It captures how many renters are under pressure, not just average rent dollars.

Top states by rent burden rate (≥30%)

Bar chart shows the Top 15 states. If the chart cannot load, the list below appears automatically.

Ranking table (Top 50 states)

Rank	State	Rent burden (≥30%)	Severe-side (35%+)

Methodology and context

Metric is derived from ACS GRAPI distribution for renter-occupied units paying rent with computable GRAPI.

What we measure: rent burden rate = share in 30.0–34.9% + share in 35.0%+ (ACS DP04 GRAPI distribution).

Why states differ

Rent burden rises when gross rents grow faster than renter incomes, but the drivers vary. Fast-growth metros can experience demand shocks and supply bottlenecks, while income gains may skew toward higher earners. In other states, rents may be lower in dollars, yet household incomes are also lower or more volatile, producing a high rent-to-income share among renters.

The distribution approach is useful because it focuses on how many renter households are under pressure, not a single average that can hide stress in the lower half of the income distribution. The “Severe-side (35%+)” column is especially informative: a higher severe-side share indicates deeper strain for a large portion of renters.

Sources (official)

Note: This page’s “rent burden rate (≥30%)” is computed from ACS DP04 GRAPI distribution: 30.0–34.9% plus 35.0%+. HUD commonly defines severe cost burden as 50%+, while the DP04 profile distribution provides a 35%+ bracket used here as a “severe-side” signal.

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Rent burden (≥30%)

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Severe-side (35%+)

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Moderate (30–34.9%)

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"; } cards.innerHTML = chtml; } // Chart fallback content var top15 = SR_DATA.slice(0, 15); var fallbackList = document.getElementById("srFallbackList"); if (fallbackList){ var f = ""; for (var m=0; m" + top15[m].state + " — " + pct(top15[m].burden) + ""; } fallbackList.innerHTML = f; } function showFallback(){ var canvas = document.getElementById("srRentBurdenChart"); var wrap = document.getElementById("srChartFallback"); if (canvas) canvas.style.display = "none"; if (wrap) wrap.style.display = "block"; } // Chart.js (safe render) try{ if (!window.Chart) { showFallback(); return; } var el = document.getElementById("srRentBurdenChart"); if (!el) { showFallback(); return; } var labels = top15.map(function(d){ return d.state; }); var values = top15.map(function(d){ return d.burden; }); new Chart(el, { type: "bar", data: { labels: labels, datasets: [{ label: "Rent burden rate (≥30%)", data: values, borderWidth: 1 }] }, options: { responsive: true, maintainAspectRatio: false, plugins: { legend: { display: true, labels: { color: "#0f172a", font: { size: 15, weight: "700" } } }, tooltip: { callbacks: { label: function(context){ return " " + context.dataset.label + ": " + pct(context.raw); } } } }, scales: { x: { ticks: { color: "#0f172a", font: { size: 15, weight: "700" } }, grid: { display: false } }, y: { beginAtZero: true, ticks: { color: "#0f172a", font: { size: 15, weight: "700" }, callback: function(v){ return v + "%"; } }, grid: { color: "rgba(15,23,42,.10)" } } } } }); } catch(e){ showFallback(); } })();

Global rankings, comparisons, and country datasets — updated snapshots for 2025–2026

Top 50 U.S. States by Rent Burden (Rent-to-Income %), 2025

Disclaimer

Key takeaways

Top states by rent burden rate (≥30%)

Top 15 states (fallback list)

Ranking table (Top 50 states)

Related StatRanker reading

Methodology and context

Why states differ

Sources (official)

StatRanker (Website)

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