US states ranked by how much of their income residents spend on housing, from least to most

Housing costs can vary across US states based on home prices, energy costs, and local wages.
Hawaii has the highest cost burden, with both renters and owners spending over half of their income.
New York has a gap of over 30 percentage points in housing burdens between renters and homeowners.

Whether you're shopping for a new home or just signed a lease on an apartment, you're no doubt aware of the high cost of housing — and the pressure it puts on tight budgets.

To understand how housing costs affect people across the US, it helps to examine how rent and mortgage payments fit into local living costs, including wages and energy costs.

For years, housing experts have cited keeping housing costs under 30% of monthly income as a rule of thumb for affordability, but in some states, this is far from a reality for many.

A recent WalletHub study examined housing affordability across the US, measuring how much of the median income renters and homeowners in each state spend on housing each month.

The study used data from the Council for Community and Economic Research, the US Census Bureau, Zillow, and WalletHub's in-house research to measure rent, mortgage, and home energy costs across all 50 states, which were then compared to each state's median monthly income to determine the burden of housing costs.

In Hawaii, renters spend an average of 62.5% of their income on housing costs, and homeowners spend 50% on average, the study reported.

While in some states the housing burden of homeowners and renters can be nearly equal — in Oklahoma, renters pay 20.3% and homeowners pay 20.4% of their income on housing costs — in others, there are significant gaps between the costs of renting and owning.

New York leads the gap, with homeowners in the state spending an average of 30.4% on housing while renters spend 61.3%.

"The current social and economic environment is significantly impacting monthly housing bill spending," Andrew Burnstine, an associate professor of business at Lynn University, said in the study. "This means that a larger portion of household budgets is now dedicated to simply keeping a roof overhead."

In 20 states, renters can be considered housing-burdened, or spending over 30% of their income on housing.

We ranked all 50 US states by how much both renters and homeowners spend on housing, on average. We also listed the median household income for each state, as reported on the most recent available American Community Survey data from the US Census Bureau, which reflects incomes in 2024.

See where each state falls.

50. Iowa

Aerial View of the Des Moine, Iowa Skyline facing West

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 17.26%

Renters' housing cost burden: 20.95%

Median household income: $75,501

49. Oklahoma

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 20.36%

Renters' housing cost burden: 20.29%

Median household income: $66,148

48. Kansas

Aerial view of Kansas City skyline at dusk, viewed from Penn Valley Park. Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 18.64%

Renters' housing cost burden: 23.55%

Median household income: $75,514

47. South Dakota

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 21.18%

Renters' housing cost burden: 21.86%

Median household income: $76,881

46. Minnesota

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 22.41%

Renters' housing cost burden: 22.05%

Median household income: $87,117

45. Arkansas

Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA town skyline from above at dawn.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 19.93%

Renters' housing cost burden: 24.87%

Median household income: $62,106

44. Nebraska

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 19.34%

Renters' housing cost burden: 25.91%

Median household income: $76,376

43. Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri, USA downtown cityscape on the Mississippi River at twilight.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 20.68%

Renters' housing cost burden: 24.58%

Median household income: $71,589

42. North Dakota

Aerial View of Grand Forks, North Dakota in Autumn

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 20.36%

Renters' housing cost burden: 25.01%

Median household income: $77,871

41. Indiana

Aerial Autumn Urban Park and Cityscape, Fort Wayne

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 19.70%

Renters' housing cost burden: 26.49%

Median household income: $71,959

40. West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia, USA downtown skyline on the river at dusk.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 18.39%

Renters' housing cost burden: 28.32%

Median household income: $60,798

39. Ohio

Aerial view of Cleveland, Ohio skyline at sunset. Cleveland is a major city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 19.68%

Renters' housing cost burden: 27.10%

Median household income: $72,212

38. Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama, USA park and downtown cityscape at twilight.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 21.63%

Renters' housing cost burden: 25.51%

Median household income: $66,659

37. Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA downtown skyline in autumn season.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 20.39%

Renters' housing cost burden: 27.47%

Median household income: $72,389

36. Texas

Austin, Texas, USA downtown skyline on the Colorado River.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 22.63%

Renters' housing cost burden: 25.26%

Median household income: $79,721

35. Virginia

Richmond, Virginia, USA downtown skyline on the James River.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.95%

Renters' housing cost burden: 23.66%

Median household income: $92,090

34. Wisconsin

Madison skyline and Wisconsin State Capitol. The Wisconsin State Capitol, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature, Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 21.50%

Renters' housing cost burden: 27.42%

Median household income: $77,488

33. Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky, USA skyline on the river at dusk.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 20.34%

Renters' housing cost burden: 29.14%

Median household income: $64,526

32. Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi, USA skyline over the Capitol Building.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 20.13%

Renters' housing cost burden: 29.45%

Median household income: $59,127

31. Wyoming

Aerial View of Cheyenne, Wyoming at Dusk during Winter

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.91%

Renters' housing cost burden: 25.03%

Median household income: $75,532

30. Georgia

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 23.87%

Renters' housing cost burden: 26.84%

Median household income: $79,991

29. Alaska

Anchorage Alaska skyline in winter at dusk with the Chugach mountains behind.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.21%

Renters' housing cost burden: 26.53%

Median household income: $95,665

28. Utah

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 30.01%

Renters' housing cost burden: 21.73%

Median household income: $96,658

27. North Carolina

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.35%

Renters' housing cost burden: 27.47%

Median household income: $73,958

26. Delaware

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 25.42%

Renters' housing cost burden: 27.43%

Median household income: $87,534

25. Louisiana

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 21.90%

Renters' housing cost burden: 31.42%

Median household income: $60,986

24. South Carolina

Charleston city downtown skyline, cityscape of South Carolina in USA

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 23.51%

Renters' housing cost burden: 29.99%

Median household income: $72,350

23. Pennsylvania

Aerial view of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 21.00%

Renters' housing cost burden: 34.04%

Median household income: $77,545

22. New Hampshire

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.68%

Renters' housing cost burden: 30.89%

Median household income: $99,782

21. Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Cityscape image of Nashville, Tennessee, USA downtown skyline with reflection of the city the Cumberland River at spring sunrise.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.87%

Renters' housing cost burden: 31.31%

Median household income: $71,997

20. New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA downtown skyline at dusk.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 23.72%

Renters' housing cost burden: 32.53%

Median household income: $67,816

19. Colorado

Aerial drone photo - Rugged Rocky Mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 32.58%

Renters' housing cost burden: 24.59%

Median household income: $97,113

18. Idaho

Downtown Boise, Idaho skyline and the snow covered foothills and Bogus Basin Ski Resort in March of 2024

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 30.88%

Renters' housing cost burden: 27.91%

Median household income: $81,166

17. Nevada

Aerial View of the Nevada Capitol of Carson City

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 32.36%

Renters' housing cost burden: 27.02%

Median household income: $81,134

16. Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland, USA Skyline over the Inner Harbor at dusk.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.00%

Renters' housing cost burden: 35.44%

Median household income: $102,905

15. New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey, USA skyline on the Passaic River.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 26.13%

Renters' housing cost burden: 33.53%

Median household income: $104,294

14. Arizona

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 29.97%

Renters' housing cost burden: 30.46%

Median household income: $81,486

13. Illinois

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 19.70%

Renters' housing cost burden: 40.96%

Median household income: $83,211

12. Washington

Seattle downtown skyline and Mount Rainier, Washington.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 32.97%

Renters' housing cost burden: 28.23%

Median household income: $99,389

11. Montana

Aerial view of buildings in Bozeman, Montana.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 30.47%

Renters' housing cost burden: 31.05%

Median household income: $75,340

10. Vermont

Aerial view of Stowe Vermont and the Green Mountains with autumn colors.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 25.12%

Renters' housing cost burden: 37.55%

Median household income: $82,730

9. Connecticut

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 24.89%

Renters' housing cost burden: 38.58%

Median household income: $96,049

8. Oregon

Aerial View of Portland, Oregon at Dusk.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 33.56%

Renters' housing cost burden: 37.22%

Median household income: $85,220

7. Rhode Island

Aerial view of Providence, Rhode Island.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 28.77%

Renters' housing cost burden: 43.57%

Median household income: $83,504

6. Florida

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 29.16%

Renters' housing cost burden: 44.69%

Median household income: $77,735

5. Maine

Portland, Maine, USA downtown city skyline at dusk.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 26.60%

Renters' housing cost burden: 52.72%

Median household income: $76,442

4. California

Downtown Sacramento, California, skyline.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 43.00%

Renters' housing cost burden: 39.84%

Median household income: $100,149

3. Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts, USA skyline with Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market at dusk.

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 33.67%

Renters' housing cost burden: 51.47%

Median household income: $104,828

2. New York

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 30.41%

Renters' housing cost burden: 61.28%

Median household income: $85,820

1. Hawaii

Sunrise above Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. Famous surfers destination on the island

Homeowners' housing cost burden: 50.02%

Renters' housing cost burden: 62.52%

Median household income: $100,745

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US states ranked by how much of their income residents spend on housing, from least to most

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