In some US counties, rent consumes half or more of the median household income. These are not just expensive coastal cities — the data reveals high rent-burden counties across multiple regions, driven by tourism, seasonal employment, resource extraction, and housing supply constraints.
We identified the 25 counties where renters face the worst income-to-rent ratios. In these counties, even full-time workers struggle to afford modest apartments without significant financial stress.
The 25 Counties with the Highest Rent Burden
Ranked by income-to-rent ratio (lower is worse). A ratio below 3.0 means the median income barely covers 3 years of rent.
| Rank | County | State | Median Income | Median Rent | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson County | Colorado | $47,667 | $1,701/mo | 2.3x |
| 2 | Esmeralda County | Nevada | $41,715 | $1,320/mo | 2.6x |
| 3 | Real County | Texas | $39,605 | $1,188/mo | 2.8x |
| 4 | Bronx County | New York | $48,676 | $1,458/mo | 2.8x |
| 5 | Irion County | Texas | $70,357 | $1,950/mo | 3.0x |
| 6 | Miami-Dade County | Florida | $71,753 | $1,829/mo | 3.3x |
| 7 | Costilla County | Colorado | $36,861 | $927/mo | 3.3x |
| 8 | Tunica County | Mississippi | $39,364 | $977/mo | 3.4x |
| 9 | Broward County | Florida | $77,633 | $1,907/mo | 3.4x |
| 10 | Osceola County | Florida | $72,637 | $1,746/mo | 3.5x |
| 11 | Clayton County | Georgia | $59,806 | $1,433/mo | 3.5x |
| 12 | Hyde County | North Carolina | $53,713 | $1,263/mo | 3.5x |
| 13 | Newton County | Texas | $42,618 | $1,001/mo | 3.5x |
| 14 | Hancock County | Georgia | $40,082 | $938/mo | 3.6x |
| 15 | Sumter County | Alabama | $33,310 | $775/mo | 3.6x |
| 16 | Bent County | Colorado | $50,179 | $1,162/mo | 3.6x |
| 17 | Petersburg city | Virginia | $50,698 | $1,174/mo | 3.6x |
| 18 | Palm Beach County | Florida | $83,581 | $1,916/mo | 3.6x |
| 19 | Quitman County | Georgia | $40,179 | $918/mo | 3.6x |
| 20 | Kings County | New York | $80,263 | $1,833/mo | 3.6x |
| 21 | Monroe County | Florida | $87,738 | $1,999/mo | 3.7x |
| 22 | Clarke County | Georgia | $53,625 | $1,219/mo | 3.7x |
| 23 | Queens County | New York | $86,136 | $1,956/mo | 3.7x |
| 24 | Pinellas County | Florida | $72,646 | $1,642/mo | 3.7x |
| 25 | Lake County | California | $60,621 | $1,368/mo | 3.7x |
Important
Severe rent burden — defined as spending more than 50% of income on housing — is associated with food insecurity, deferred medical care, and inability to build emergency savings. Counties with ratios below 2.5x push median earners into this category.
What Drives Extreme Rent Burden?
Several factors converge to create these conditions:
- Tourism and seasonal economies: Counties dependent on tourism often have high housing demand from visitors and second-home owners, pricing out local workers.
- Boom-and-bust resource towns: Oil, gas, and mining booms can cause temporary rent spikes that do not adjust downward when the boom ends.
- Housing supply constraints: Strict zoning, geographic barriers (islands, mountains), or lack of buildable land limit new construction.
- Low wage bases: Some counties combine moderate rents with extremely low local wages, creating a structural mismatch.
Methodology
All data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023). Income-to-rent ratio is median household income divided by annual median gross rent (monthly rent x 12). Counties missing either income or rent data were excluded.
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023). All figures are estimates based on survey data and may not reflect current economic conditions.