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Here’s How Much You Need To Earn per Hour To Afford Rent in Every State

See which states demand the most from your paycheck.

By Sandy Baker

Edited by Ellen Cannon

Updated Sept. 24, 2024

We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

If you’re renting, you know how much you need to pay each month. But have you ever considered how much you need to earn per hour to afford rent?

As you consider ways to help pay for your rent, the data shows how much you'll need to afford even a small home.

Here's how much you'll need to earn per hour to rent a two-bedroom home in your state.

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About the numbers

A National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) report examined how much you would need to earn per hour to afford a two-bedroom home in each state. They call this the Housing Wage.

The "wage needed to afford rent" estimates a full-time worker's hourly wage to rent a two-bedroom home at the fair-market rate (FMR). They also assumed that the wage-earner would spend 30% of their income on rent, the "accepted standard of affordability."

To get the "wage needed to afford rent" number for each state, the NLIHC multiplied the FMR by 12 to get the yearly cost and then calculated 30% of that amount.

For example, the average FMR for a two-bedroom rental in the U.S. is $1,486.25. Multiplied by 12 months gets us $17,835 in rent for the year.

If we only want to spend 30% of our earnings on rent, we'll need to multiply the annual rent by .3 to reach the total yearly income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental of $59,450 ($17,835 / .3 = $59,450).

To get the "wage needed to afford rent," we simply divide the total annual income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental in each state by 52 (weeks per year) and then by 40 (hours per work week.

That gives us $28.58 as the average "wage needed to afford rent" in the U.S. ($59,450 / 52 = $1,143; $1,143 / 40 = $28.58).

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North Dakota: #51

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $956/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.38/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 101

West Virginia: #50

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $960/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.46/hour

Minimum wage: $8.75

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 84

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Iowa: #49

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $981/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.86/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 104

Arkansas: #48

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $987/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.97/hour

Minimum wage: $11.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 69

South Dakota: #47

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,024/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $19.68/hour

Minimum wage: $11.20

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 70

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Oklahoma: #46

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,035/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $19.91/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 110

Mississippi: #45

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,042/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.03/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 111

Nebraska: #44

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,075/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.32/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 68

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Kansas: #43

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,060/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.38/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 112

Montana: #42

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,078/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.73/hour

Minimum wage: $10.30

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 81

Ohio: #41

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,082/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.81/hour

Minimum wage: $10.45

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 80

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Missouri: #40

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,083/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.83/hour

Minimum wage: $12.30

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 68

Alabama: #39

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,086/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.88/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 115

Kentucky: #38

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,090/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.97/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 116

Wyoming: #37

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,091/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.98/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 116

Wisconsin: #36

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,129/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $21.71/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 120

New Mexico: #35

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,134/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $21.81/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 73

Indiana: #34

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,148/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $22.07/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 122

Louisiana: #33

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,150/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $22.11/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 122

Idaho: #32

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,199/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $23.06/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 127

Michigan: #31

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,204/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $23.16/hour

Minimum wage: $10.33

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 90

South Carolina: #30

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,252/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $24.08/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 133

Tennessee: #29

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,264/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $24.31/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 134

North Carolina: #28

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $$1,311/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $25.21/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 139

Pennsylvania: #27

Average rent for 2-bedroom home: $1,365/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $26.26/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 145

Maine: #26

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,372/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $26.38/hour

Minimum wage: $14.15

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 75

Utah: #25

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,398/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $26.89/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 148

Minnesota: #24

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,418/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $27.27/hour

Minimum wage: $8.85 to $10.85

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 101

Texas: #23

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,450/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $27.88/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 154

Alaska: #22

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,488/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $28.61/hour

Minimum wage: $11.73

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 98

Illinois: #21

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,498/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $28.81/hour

Minimum wage: $14.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 82

Georgia: #20

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,287/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $24.75/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 160

Vermont: #19

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,530/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $29.42/hour

Minimum wage: $13.67

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 86

Virginia: #18

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,573/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $30.25/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 101

Delaware: #17

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,594/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $30.65/hour

Minimum wage: $13.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 83

Nevada: #16

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,605/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $30.87/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 103

Oregon: #15

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,682/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $32.34/hour

Minimum wage: $15.45

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 88

Arizona: #14

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,700/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $32.70/hour

Minimum wage: $14.35

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 91

New Hampshire: #13

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,706/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $32.81/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 181

Rhode Island: #12

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,726/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $33.20/hour

Minimum wage: $14.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 95

Connecticut: #11

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,796/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $34.54/hour

Minimum wage: $15.69

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 88

Florida: #10

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,833/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $35.24/hour

Minimum wage: $13.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 117

Maryland: #9

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,909/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $36.70/hour

Minimum wage: $15.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 98

Colorado: #8

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,948/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $37.47/hour

Minimum wage: $14.42

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 104

New Jersey: #7

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,980/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $38.08/hour

Minimum wage: $15.13

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 101

District of Columbia: #6

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,045/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $39.33/hour

Minimum wage: $17.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 90

Washington: #5

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,097/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $40.32/hour

Minimum wage: $16.28

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 99

Hawaii: #4

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,319/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $44.60/hour

Minimum wage: $14.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 127

New York: #3

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,328/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $44.77/hour

Minimum wage: $15.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 119

Massachusetts: #2

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,332/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $44.84/hour

Minimum wage: $15.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 120

California: #1

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,464/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $47.38/hour

Minimum wage: $16.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 118

Bottom line

The cost of living in each U.S. state depends on many factors, including demand, economic opportunities, and overall quality of life.

Some states have very affordable and more accessible options than others. Look local to get a more accurate view of what's happening in your state.

If you're ready for that move, check out some ways to get ahead financially so you can buy a home instead of renting an apartment.

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About the numbers

North Dakota: #51

West Virginia: #50

Resolve $10,000 or more of your debt

Iowa: #49

Arkansas: #48

Trending Stories

South Dakota: #47

Oklahoma: #46

Mississippi: #45

Nebraska: #44

Earn cash back on everyday purchases with this rare account

Kansas: #43

Montana: #42

Ohio: #41

Missouri: #40

Alabama: #39

Kentucky: #38

Wyoming: #37

Wisconsin: #36

New Mexico: #35

Indiana: #34

Louisiana: #33

Idaho: #32

Michigan: #31

South Carolina: #30

Tennessee: #29

North Carolina: #28

Pennsylvania: #27

Maine: #26

Utah: #25

Minnesota: #24

Texas: #23

Alaska: #22

Illinois: #21

Georgia: #20

Vermont: #19

Virginia: #18

Delaware: #17

Nevada: #16

Oregon: #15

Arizona: #14

New Hampshire: #13

Rhode Island: #12

Connecticut: #11

Florida: #10

Maryland: #9

Colorado: #8

New Jersey: #7

District of Columbia: #6

Washington: #5

Hawaii: #4

New York: #3

Massachusetts: #2

California: #1

Bottom line

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