Income Reality Check ☰ Home / Statistics / Housing Cost Burden Rankings Housing Cost Burden Rankings — 2026 Data
Data: 2026-Q2 · BLS · HUD · KFF
Cities ranked by housing cost burden — annual 1BR rent as a percentage of the local all-occupation median wage. A higher percentage means rent consumes more of a typical local paycheck.
In New York City, annual 1BR rent consumes about 52% of the local median wage — the highest burden in this dataset.
City 1BR FMR Median Wage % of Wage New York City, NY $2,655 $61,430 52% San Diego, CA $2,459 $58,690 50% Miami, FL $1,995 $48,640 49% San Francisco, CA $2,977 $74,260 48% Los Angeles, CA $2,085 $55,850 45% Boston, MA $2,476 $66,620 45% Orlando, FL $1,731 $46,630 45% San Jose, CA $2,982 $84,050 43% Tampa, FL $1,696 $48,940 42% Atlanta, GA $1,660 $51,170 39% Dallas, TX $1,648 $51,440 38% Nashville, TN $1,578 $50,390 38% Charlotte, NC $1,538 $49,990 37% Las Vegas, NV $1,478 $48,070 37% Raleigh, NC $1,596 $51,990 37% Sacramento, CA $1,832 $59,750 37% Phoenix, AZ $1,583 $52,520 36% Seattle, WA $2,146 $72,610 35% Portland, OR $1,677 $56,960 35% Denver, CO $1,754 $59,610 35% Chicago, IL $1,581 $54,720 35% Washington, DC, DC $2,015 $71,060 34% Jacksonville, FL $1,382 $48,830 34% Philadelphia, PA $1,520 $54,310 34% Austin, TX $1,562 $56,950 33% Columbus, OH $1,194 $43,540 33% Salt Lake City, UT $1,456 $53,800 32% Houston, TX $1,323 $49,410 32% Indianapolis, IN $1,267 $49,340 31% Baltimore, MD $1,511 $59,070 31% San Antonio, TX $1,177 $47,010 30% Albuquerque, NM $1,185 $47,340 30% Minneapolis, MN $1,405 $59,320 28% Kansas City, MO $1,197 $50,820 28% Pittsburgh, PA $1,077 $49,650 26% Detroit, MI $1,122 $52,080 26% St. Louis, MO $995 $49,990 24%
Source: HUD FY2026 FMR, BLS OEWS May 2025.
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