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

SAVING & SPENDING - BUDGETING & EXPENSES

See which states demand the most from your paycheck.

By Sandy Baker

Edited by Ellen Cannon

Updated April 26, 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 here shows that in some areas, you'll need to make extra money 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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Arkansas: #51

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $846/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $16.27/hour

Minimum wage: $11.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 59

West Virginia: #50

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $965/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $16.64/hour

Minimum wage: $8.75

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 76

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Mississippi: #49

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $895/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $17.21/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 95

South Dakota: #48

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

Wage needed to afford rent: $27.49/hour

Minimum wage: $10.80

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 65

North Dakota: #47

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $925/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $17.79/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 98

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Kentucky: #46

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $931/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $17.90/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 99

Wyoming: #45

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $933/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $17.94/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 99

Oklahoma: #44

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $936/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.00/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 99

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Alabama: #43

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $943/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.13/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 100

Iowa: #42

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $943/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.13/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 100

Missouri: #41

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $964/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.54/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 62

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Kansas: #40

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $973/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.71/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 103

Nebraska: #39

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $984/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $18.91/hour

Minimum wage: $10.50

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 72

Indiana: #38

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $988/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $19.00/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 105

Ohio: #37

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $993/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $19.09/hour

Minimum wage: $10.10

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 76

Montana: #36

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,002/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $19.28/hour

Minimum wage: $9.95

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 77

Louisiana: #35

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,008/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $19.39/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 107

New Mexico: #34

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,034/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $19.88/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 66

Wisconsin: #33

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,056/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.32/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 112

Tennessee: #32

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,303/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $20.76/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 115

South Carolina: #31

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,117/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $21.48/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 118

Idaho: #30

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,120/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $21.53/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 119

North Carolina: #29

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,120/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $21.54/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 119

Michigan: #28

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,1226/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $21.65/hour

Minimum wage: $10.10

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 86

Pennsylvania: #27

Average rent for 2-bedroom home: $1,228/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $23.61/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 130

Minnesota: #26

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,254/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $24.11/hour

Minimum wage: $10.59

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 91

Illinois: #25

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,279/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $24.59/hour

Minimum wage: $13.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 76

Maine: #24

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,286/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $24.73/hour

Minimum wage: $13.80

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 72

Georgia: #23

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: 137

Utah: #22

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,297/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $24.93/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 138

Texas: #21

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

Wage needed to afford rent: $25.06/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 136

Vermont: #20

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,328/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $25.54/hour

Minimum wage: $13.18

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 78

Delaware: #19

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,357/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $26.09/hour

Minimum wage: $11.75

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 89

Alaska: #18

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,368/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $26.32/hour

Minimum wage: $10.85

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 97

Virginia: #17

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,396/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $26.84/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 89

Rhode Island: #16

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,444/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $27.78/hour

Minimum wage: $13.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 85

Nevada: #15

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,455/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $27.99/hour

Minimum wage: $11.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 100

Oregon: #14

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,545/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $29.72/hour

Minimum wage: $14.20

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 84

New Hampshire: #13

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,553/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $29.86/hour

Minimum wage: $7.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 165

Arizona: #12

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,556/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $29.93/hour

Minimum wage: $13.85

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 86

Florida: #11

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,591/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $30.59/hour

Minimum wage: $11.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 111

Maryland: #10

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,616/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $31.08/hour

Minimum wage: $13.25

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 94

Connecticut: #9

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,660/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $31.93/hour

Minimum wage: $15.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 85

Colorado: #8

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,671/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $32.13/hour

Minimum wage: $13.85

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 94

New Jersey: #7

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,742/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $33.50/hour

Minimum wage: $14.13

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 95

District of Columbia: #6

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,838/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $35.35/hour

Minimum wage: $17.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 83

Washington: #5

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $1,889/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $36.33/hour

Minimum wage: $15.74

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 92

New York: #4

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,084/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $40.80/hour

Minimum wage: $14.20

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 113

Massachusetts: #3

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,165/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $41.64/hour

Minimum wage: $15.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 111

Hawaii: #2

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,175/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $41.83/hour

Minimum wage: $12.00

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 139

California: #1

Average rent for a two-bedroom home: $2,197/month

Wage needed to afford rent: $42.25/hour

Minimum wage: $15.50

Weekly hours need to work at minimum wage: 109

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 to help you get into a home instead of renting an apartment.

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