Rent Burden in U.S. Cities: What the Median Rent Leaves Out
Explore the shares of renter units spending 30% or 50% of income on housing. Original city analysis explains denominators, missing ratios and survey uncertainty.
By US Cities Info · · Data reviewed
Youngstown, OH has median gross rent of $728, while 26.7% of all renter-occupied units are in the category spending at least half of household income on gross rent. San Francisco, CA has a much higher median gross rent of $2,476, with 18.9% in that same category. Lower median rent does not mechanically imply a lower burden share.
The percentages here use all renter-occupied housing units as the denominator, including units where rent as a percentage of income was not computed. A percentage restricted to computed ratios will be higher when that excluded category is present. Both denominators can be useful, but they should never be mixed without explanation.
Selected city comparisons from the source data
These examples illustrate the article’s comparison; they are not a national ranking. Population filters use July 2025. Survey measures use ACS 2020–2024. Dollar estimates are in 2024 dollars; percentages keep their named source universes.
| City | Median gross rent USD/month | Gross rent ≥30% of income percent | Gross rent ≥50% of income percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown city, OH | $728 ±$24 | 50.5% ±4.2 pp 5,531 / 10,944 | 26.7% ±3.2 pp 2,917 / 10,944 |
| Detroit city, MI | $1,074 ±$13 | 54.0% ±1.6 pp 69,210 / 128,103 | 32.0% ±1.3 pp 40,930 / 128,103 |
| Pittsburgh city, PA | $1,261 ±$27 | 45.3% ±1.8 pp 32,738 / 72,332 | 23.6% ±1.3 pp 17,036 / 72,332 |
| Chicago city, IL | $1,440 ±$10 | 45.6% ±0.8 pp 285,719 / 626,193 | 24.0% ±0.6 pp 150,413 / 626,193 |
| Austin city, TX | $1,729 ±$14 | 46.3% ±1.3 pp 119,334 / 257,933 | 21.7% ±0.9 pp 56,040 / 257,933 |
| Seattle city, WA | $2,030 ±$22 | 42.4% ±1.0 pp 86,632 / 204,521 | 19.7% ±0.6 pp 40,191 / 204,521 |
| San Francisco city, CA | $2,476 ±$30 | 37.8% ±1.0 pp 85,000 / 224,913 | 18.9% ±0.7 pp 42,422 / 224,913 |
| Boulder city, CO | $2,018 ±$65 | 63.0% ±2.8 pp 14,780 / 23,455 | 43.1% ±2.3 pp 10,103 / 23,455 |
What the 30% and 50% categories actually measure
ACS table B25070 groups renter-occupied units by gross rent as a percentage of household income. Our 30%-and-over numerator adds the 30–34.9%, 35–39.9%, 40–49.9% and 50%-and-over categories. The 50%-and-over numerator is a single published category. A unit counted in the latter is also included in the former.
Because the categories overlap by construction, adding the two percentages would double-count units. The thresholds provide a transparent way to describe housing-cost pressure in the survey. They are not a universal test of what a household can afford, and they do not account for every expense, asset or resource available to that household.
Gross rent includes estimated utilities and fuels paid by tenants as well as contract rent. A burden comparison based only on the lease payment would change the numerator. The table uses the source gross-rent definition consistently across places and keeps the ACS survey period attached.
The denominator can change a published burden percentage
Austin has 119,334 units in the 30%-and-over categories out of 257,933 renter-occupied units. Its not-computed category contains 8,009 units. Our all-renter denominator yields 46.3%.
If the not-computed category is removed from Austin’s denominator, the same numerator gives 47.7%. This alternative percentage is a point calculation shown to explain the denominator effect; we do not attach the all-renter share’s MOE to it. The Austin housing-cost page shows both denominators.
A not-computed ratio does not mean zero rent burden. It remains a separate source category, and we do not assume the financial circumstances of the households in it. A chart or headline should say whether it counts all renter units or only those with a computed ratio.
Why median rent cannot replace the burden distribution
Median rent identifies the middle of the rent distribution among units paying cash rent. The burden categories relate each unit’s housing cost to its household income. Those are different calculations with different source universes. A low rent can still represent a large fraction of a household’s income.
Median household income also cannot supply the missing distribution. It covers owners and renters, and its middle household is not paired with the unit at the rent median. Dividing the medians creates a city comparison ratio, not the fraction of actual renters above a burden threshold.
The examples in this article describe observed associations, not a causal explanation. They do not establish why a particular city has a higher share or predict what a newcomer will pay. Current leases, household earnings and spending needs must be investigated separately.
Use the explorer to compare burdens with uncertainty
The table includes covered places with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025 and an available 50%-and-over share. Sort by median rent, the 30%-and-over share or the 50%-and-over share. All renter-based percentages retain their numerator and denominator, and derived 90% MOEs are shown in percentage points.
For the combined 30%-and-over numerator we combine source MOEs with a root-sum-of-squares approximation, then apply the Census subset-share formula. This is approximate uncertainty and does not incorporate every source of error. No significance test is implied by an ordering of point estimates; especially imprecise rows are labeled in the table.
The underlying ACS period is 2020–2024. The population filter uses the later July 2025 estimate, without changing the housing reference window. Download the matching data to retain source cells and denominators, and use each city’s detailed cost-of-living page to read housing stock, owner costs and the survey definitions together.
Explore the city data
Search the underlying covered-city observations, narrow the state and population, and choose a measure to sort. The table includes missing and open-ended values when another measure is available. The chart draws only usable exact values for the chosen measure; intervals are never treated as precise amounts.
Loading the full city explorer. The selected source observations above are available without JavaScript.
| City | Population · July 2025 | Median gross rent USD/month | Gross rent ≥30% of income percent | Gross rent ≥50% of income percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The interactive table requires JavaScript. Source examples are published above. | ||||
Measures and source universes
- Median gross rent
- Renter-occupied units paying cash rent · B25064_001 · USD/month
- Gross rent ≥30% of income
- All renter-occupied housing units, including ratio not computed · B25070_007+008+009+010 / B25070_001 · percent
- Gross rent ≥50% of income
- All renter-occupied housing units, including ratio not computed · B25070_010 / B25070_001 · percent
Survey percentages use approximate subset-ratio MOEs from the retained count cells. Population and Gazetteer calculations have no numerical sampling MOE here. Read the calculations and limitations before comparing small differences.
Sources and reproducible analysis
This article uses retained original Census records, joined by exact place GEOID. The data review date is September 30, 2026. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates; survey observations use ACS 2020–2024. Our calculations describe the covered place universe, with no substitution of county or metropolitan figures. The original records and release manifest are available through data downloads.
- ACS B25070: gross rent as a percentage of household income
- ACS B25064: median gross rent
- Census derived estimates and uncertainty guidance
Methods and uncertainty explain derived shares, open-ended medians and geographic compatibility. Report a correction with the figure, source and article address. Statistics do not represent personal resident experiences or a universal assessment of a place.
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- Fastest-Growing Cities: Percentage Growth vs. Residents Added
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- Low Home Values vs. Monthly Owner Costs: Two Different Housing Questions
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