National ranking · 100 entries
Least Affordable US Cities for Renters (2026).
The 100 US cities where renters spend the highest share of household income on rent. The ratio is average gross rent ÷ average household income, from Census ACS 2023 5-year table B25071. Values above 30% meet HUD’s cost-burdened threshold; above 50% is severely cost-burdened.
Top city
Woodlawn
65.2% · VA
Average Rent Burden
51.0%
across 100 entries
Most-represented state
NY
15 of 100 on this list
Average rent · list
$1,927
per month
Ranking · top 100
Ranked by rent burden · highest first
Click a column to sort
| # | City↕ | County↕ | Population↕ | Rent Burden↕ | Average Rent↕ | % Renters↕ | Lean↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Woodlawn VA | Fairfax County | 21,828 | 65.2% | $1,927 | 41.8% | Dem |
| 002 | University FL | Hillsborough County | 48,868 | 63.6% | $1,177 | 83.5% | Dem |
| 003 | El Sobrante CA | Contra Costa County | 15,823 | 60.5% | $2,423 | 28.9% | Dem |
| 004 | The Villages FL | Sumter County | 83,498 | 51.0% | $1,397 | 6.7% | Rep |
| 005 | East Lansing MI | Ingham County | 45,758 | 51.0% | $1,171 | 61.5% | Dem |
| 006 | West Lafayette IN | Tippecanoe County | 45,159 | 51.0% | $1,225 | 70.6% | IND |
| 007 | Kiryas Joel NY | Orange County | 38,916 | 51.0% | $1,604 | 66.6% | IND |
| 008 | Sun City Center FL | Hillsborough County | 33,548 | 51.0% | $2,156 | 16.0% | Dem |
| 009 | Newark DE | New Castle County | 30,330 | 51.0% | $1,654 | 49.3% | Dem |
| 010 | Shirley NY | Suffolk County | 28,375 | 51.0% | $2,056 | 7.8% | IND |
| 011 | Monsey NY | Rockland County | 28,160 | 51.0% | $1,892 | 65.1% | IND |
| 012 | Columbine CO | Jefferson County | 25,478 | 51.0% | $2,448 | 10.7% | Dem |
| 013 | Calabasas CA | Los Angeles County | 22,669 | 51.0% | $3,089 | 31.5% | Dem |
| 014 | Murphy TX | Collin County | 21,188 | 51.0% | $2,847 | 6.3% | IND |
| 015 | South Holland IL | Cook County | 20,911 | 51.0% | $1,856 | 17.2% | Dem |
| 016 | Boone NC | Watauga County | 20,032 | 51.0% | $1,111 | 73.8% | Dem |
| 017 | Ocean Acres NJ | Ocean County | 19,204 | 51.0% | $2,241 | 4.2% | Rep |
| 018 | Phelan CA | San Bernardino County | 18,496 | 51.0% | $1,525 | 18.1% | Dem |
| 019 | Shorewood IL | Will County | 18,343 | 51.0% | $1,479 | 3.2% | Dem |
| 020 | Gretna LA | Jefferson Parish | 17,389 | 51.0% | $1,060 | 51.2% | Rep |
| 021 | Islip NY | Suffolk County | 17,362 | 51.0% | $2,235 | 15.1% | IND |
| 022 | Laguna Woods CA | Orange County | 17,289 | 51.0% | $2,328 | 28.4% | Dem |
| 023 | Lake Butler FL | Union County | 17,125 | 51.0% | $2,487 | 13.1% | Rep |
| 024 | Mastic Beach NY | Suffolk County | 16,735 | 51.0% | $2,428 | 18.4% | IND |
| 025 | Dyer IN | Lake County | 16,400 | 51.0% | $1,225 | 12.3% | Dem |
| 026 | Estelle LA | Jefferson Parish | 16,341 | 51.0% | $1,442 | 10.1% | Rep |
| 027 | Camp Pendleton South CA | Orange County | 15,766 | 51.0% | $3,092 | 99.1% | Dem |
| 028 | Storrs CT | Tolland County | 15,207 | 51.0% | $1,678 | 73.4% | Dem |
| 029 | Discovery Bay CA | Contra Costa County | 14,911 | 51.0% | $3,029 | 9.9% | Dem |
| 030 | Colesville MD | Montgomery County | 14,519 | 51.0% | $1,893 | 17.0% | Dem |
| 031 | Luling LA | St. Charles Parish | 13,960 | 51.0% | $1,625 | 13.0% | Rep |
| 032 | Isla Vista CA | Santa Barbara County | 13,920 | 51.0% | $1,878 | 98.8% | Dem |
| 033 | Weddington NC | Union County | 13,805 | 51.0% | $1,927 | 4.9% | Rep |
| 034 | East Islip NY | Suffolk County | 13,573 | 51.0% | $2,708 | 10.9% | IND |
| 035 | Montgomeryville PA | Montgomery County | 13,388 | 51.0% | $1,993 | 9.4% | Dem |
| 036 | Rocky Point NY | Suffolk County | 13,356 | 51.0% | $2,337 | 11.7% | IND |
| 037 | Lincolnwood IL | Cook County | 13,112 | 51.0% | $3,501 | 16.2% | Dem |
| 038 | Holiday City-Berkeley NJ | Ocean County | 12,995 | 51.0% | $1,640 | 9.0% | Rep |
| 039 | Olympia Heights FL | Miami-Dade County | 12,399 | 51.0% | $2,124 | 15.2% | Dem |
| 040 | North Merrick NY | Nassau County | 12,366 | 51.0% | $2,906 | 5.4% | Dem |
| 041 | Glen Rock NJ | Bergen County | 12,154 | 51.0% | $1,930 | 9.8% | Dem |
| 042 | Palos Heights IL | Cook County | 12,152 | 51.0% | $2,558 | 6.6% | Dem |
| 043 | Macedonia OH | Summit County | 12,152 | 51.0% | $2,190 | 9.6% | Dem |
| 044 | Markham IL | Cook County | 11,355 | 51.0% | $1,621 | 25.1% | Dem |
| 045 | Tucson Mountains AZ | Pima County | 11,353 | 51.0% | $1,450 | 3.8% | Dem |
| 046 | Woodbury NY | Orange County | 11,334 | 51.0% | $1,868 | 10.8% | IND |
| 047 | Waggaman LA | Jefferson Parish | 11,330 | 51.0% | $1,510 | 29.8% | Rep |
| 048 | Burr Ridge IL | DuPage County | 11,141 | 51.0% | $3,501 | 6.0% | Dem |
| 049 | Elon NC | Alamance County | 11,032 | 51.0% | $2,080 | 29.9% | Rep |
| 050 | Pompton Plains NJ | Morris County | 10,971 | 51.0% | $3,129 | 18.8% | IND |
| 051 | Kaneohe Base HI | Honolulu County | 10,919 | 51.0% | $3,410 | 98.4% | Dem |
| 052 | Westwood Lakes FL | Miami-Dade County | 10,553 | 51.0% | $2,472 | 23.2% | Dem |
| 053 | Bee Ridge FL | Sarasota County | 10,334 | 51.0% | $2,118 | 18.5% | Rep |
| 054 | Fallston MD | Harford County | 10,013 | 51.0% | $2,268 | 2.8% | Rep |
| 055 | Bull Run VA | Prince William County | 16,688 | 50.6% | $1,907 | 63.6% | Dem |
| 056 | Centereach NY | Suffolk County | 31,839 | 49.9% | $2,420 | 13.5% | IND |
| 057 | Rose Hill VA | Fairfax County | 21,484 | 49.9% | $2,839 | 15.8% | Dem |
| 058 | Terryville NY | Suffolk County | 10,794 | 49.7% | $2,265 | 26.7% | IND |
| 059 | Tamiami FL | Miami-Dade County | 49,752 | 49.6% | $1,939 | 28.3% | Dem |
| 060 | New City NY | Rockland County | 34,458 | 49.3% | $2,242 | 6.8% | IND |
| 061 | Lake Los Angeles CA | Los Angeles County | 13,051 | 49.3% | $1,530 | 28.2% | Dem |
| 062 | Country Club CA | San Joaquin County | 10,161 | 49.3% | $1,848 | 28.4% | Dem |
| 063 | Marco Island FL | Collier County | 16,205 | 49.2% | $1,990 | 10.6% | Rep |
| 064 | Davenport FL | Polk County | 13,238 | 49.2% | $1,914 | 10.7% | Rep |
| 065 | Lakewood NJ | Ocean County | 69,585 | 49.1% | $1,718 | 60.9% | Rep |
| 066 | Lake Elmo MN | Washington County | 13,140 | 49.0% | $2,407 | 6.5% | Dem |
| 067 | Central LA | East Baton Rouge Parish | 29,783 | 48.8% | $1,309 | 11.2% | Dem |
| 068 | Sun Lakes AZ | Maricopa County | 13,924 | 48.8% | $1,938 | 12.0% | IND |
| 069 | Palos Verdes Estates CA | Los Angeles County | 12,925 | 48.8% | $3,217 | 10.3% | Dem |
| 070 | Bargersville IN | Johnson County | 10,752 | 48.5% | $1,379 | 26.7% | Rep |
| 071 | Schofield Barracks HI | Honolulu County | 16,270 | 48.4% | $3,230 | 100.0% | Dem |
| 072 | Middle Island NY | Suffolk County | 11,027 | 48.2% | $1,868 | 30.8% | IND |
| 073 | Five Forks SC | Greenville County | 18,656 | 48.1% | $2,178 | 13.4% | Rep |
| 074 | Stony Point NY | Rockland County | 12,728 | 48.0% | $1,749 | 13.4% | IND |
| 075 | Riverdale IL | Cook County | 10,340 | 47.9% | $1,231 | 48.5% | Dem |
| 076 | Royse City TX | Rockwall County | 20,037 | 47.8% | $2,078 | 16.2% | Rep |
| 077 | Pinole CA | Contra Costa County | 18,761 | 47.8% | $2,700 | 20.6% | Dem |
| 078 | Aldine TX | Harris County | 17,167 | 47.7% | $1,428 | 38.1% | Dem |
| 079 | Dolton IL | Cook County | 20,825 | 47.6% | $1,384 | 27.4% | Dem |
| 080 | Leisure City FL | Miami-Dade County | 27,808 | 47.5% | $1,723 | 56.4% | Dem |
| 081 | Castle Pines CO | Douglas County | 13,388 | 47.4% | $2,211 | 19.3% | Rep |
| 082 | Woodlawn MD | Baltimore County | 40,476 | 47.3% | $1,467 | 36.6% | Dem |
| 083 | Fort Lewis WA | Pierce County | 15,167 | 47.2% | $2,282 | 99.0% | Dem |
| 084 | Nanakuli HI | Honolulu County | 12,383 | 47.2% | $1,690 | 32.6% | Dem |
| 085 | Woodmere LA | Jefferson Parish | 11,879 | 47.2% | $1,382 | 21.3% | Rep |
| 086 | North Lauderdale FL | Broward County | 45,234 | 47.0% | $2,081 | 39.9% | Dem |
| 087 | The Crossings FL | Miami-Dade County | 22,963 | 47.0% | $2,103 | 27.4% | Dem |
| 088 | East Meadow NY | Nassau County | 36,821 | 46.9% | $2,890 | 10.6% | Dem |
| 089 | Midlothian IL | Cook County | 13,948 | 46.8% | $1,249 | 24.1% | Dem |
| 090 | Castaic CA | Los Angeles County | 17,999 | 46.7% | $1,770 | 16.9% | Dem |
| 091 | Country Club Hills IL | Cook County | 16,324 | 46.6% | $1,709 | 26.0% | Dem |
| 092 | Orangeburg SC | Orangeburg County | 13,253 | 46.6% | $848 | 55.4% | Dem |
| 093 | Oatfield OR | Clackamas County | 13,294 | 46.5% | $1,786 | 14.8% | Dem |
| 094 | Makaha HI | Honolulu County | 10,066 | 46.5% | $1,868 | 53.6% | Dem |
| 095 | College Park MD | Prince George's County | 34,540 | 46.4% | $1,912 | 66.0% | Dem |
| 096 | Ruston LA | Lincoln Parish | 22,284 | 46.3% | $816 | 63.8% | Rep |
| 097 | Heartland TX | Kaufman County | 10,607 | 46.1% | $2,333 | 7.7% | Rep |
| 098 | Iona FL | Lee County | 13,631 | 46.0% | $1,913 | 28.0% | Rep |
| 099 | Richmond TX | Fort Bend County | 12,582 | 46.0% | $1,319 | 46.5% | Dem |
| 100 | Davis CA | Yolo County | 66,978 | 45.7% | $2,187 | 56.5% | Dem |
How the ranking is built
Rent burden = median gross rent ÷ median household income (Census ACS 2023 5-year table B25071). HUD classifies households spending more than 30% of income on housing as "cost-burdened" and more than 50% as "severely cost-burdened." Cities near or above the severe threshold routinely have eviction filing rates several multiples above the national average, even in low-rent markets, because what matters is rent relative to local wages.
We include only cities with population ≥ 10,000 to avoid outlier noise from very small places where the ACS confidence intervals are wide. Click any city for its full risk breakdown, typical eviction cost, and court timeline.
Sources
US Census ACS 2023 5-year (poverty, unemployment, rent burden, median gross rent, renter share), 2024 Census Gazetteer (geometry), MIT Election Lab 2020 county presidential returns, state landlord-tenant statute citations, HUD cost-burden thresholds. Nothing on this list is synthesized — where a source has no value for a city, it is excluded from that ranking, not filled in.