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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.

Worst cities Best cities Worst states Best states Least affordable for renters Rent-control cities
Top city
The Villages
51.0% · FL
Average Rent Burden
51.0%
across 100 entries
Most-represented state
FL
16 of 100 on this list
Average rent · list
$1,927
per month
Ranking · top 100
Ranked by rent burden · highest first
# City County Population Rent Burden Average Rent % Renters Lean
001 The Villages FL Sumter County 83,498 51.0% $1,397 6.7% Rep
002 East Lansing MI Ingham County 45,758 51.0% $1,171 61.5% Dem
003 West Lafayette IN Tippecanoe County 45,159 51.0% $1,225 70.6% IND
004 Kiryas Joel NY Orange County 38,916 51.0% $1,604 66.6% IND
005 Sun City Center FL Hillsborough County 33,548 51.0% $2,156 16.0% Dem
006 Newark DE New Castle County 30,330 51.0% $1,654 49.3% Dem
007 Shirley NY Suffolk County 28,375 51.0% $2,056 7.8% IND
008 Monsey NY Rockland County 28,160 51.0% $1,892 65.1% IND
009 Columbine CO Jefferson County 25,478 51.0% $2,448 10.7% Dem
010 Calabasas CA Los Angeles County 22,669 51.0% $3,089 31.5% Dem
011 Murphy TX Collin County 21,188 51.0% $2,847 6.3% IND
012 South Holland IL Cook County 20,911 51.0% $1,856 17.2% Dem
013 Boone NC Watauga County 20,032 51.0% $1,111 73.8% Dem
014 Ocean Acres NJ Ocean County 19,204 51.0% $2,241 4.2% Rep
015 Phelan CA San Bernardino County 18,496 51.0% $1,525 18.1% Dem
016 Shorewood IL Will County 18,343 51.0% $1,479 3.2% Dem
017 Gretna LA Jefferson Parish 17,389 51.0% $1,060 51.2% Rep
018 Islip NY Suffolk County 17,362 51.0% $2,235 15.1% IND
019 Laguna Woods CA Orange County 17,289 51.0% $2,328 28.4% Dem
020 Lake Butler FL Union County 17,125 51.0% $2,487 13.1% Rep
021 Mastic Beach NY Suffolk County 16,735 51.0% $2,428 18.4% IND
022 Dyer IN Lake County 16,400 51.0% $1,225 12.3% Dem
023 Estelle LA Jefferson Parish 16,341 51.0% $1,442 10.1% Rep
024 Camp Pendleton South CA Orange County 15,766 51.0% $3,092 99.1% Dem
025 Storrs CT Tolland County 15,207 51.0% $1,678 73.4% —
026 Discovery Bay CA Contra Costa County 14,911 51.0% $3,029 9.9% Dem
027 Colesville MD Montgomery County 14,519 51.0% $1,893 17.0% Dem
028 Luling LA St. Charles Parish 13,960 51.0% $1,625 13.0% Rep
029 Isla Vista CA Santa Barbara County 13,920 51.0% $1,878 98.8% Dem
030 Weddington NC Union County 13,805 51.0% $1,927 4.9% Rep
031 East Islip NY Suffolk County 13,573 51.0% $2,708 10.9% IND
032 Montgomeryville PA Montgomery County 13,388 51.0% $1,993 9.4% Dem
033 Rocky Point NY Suffolk County 13,356 51.0% $2,337 11.7% IND
034 Lincolnwood IL Cook County 13,112 51.0% $3,501 16.2% Dem
035 Holiday City-Berkeley NJ Ocean County 12,995 51.0% $1,640 9.0% Rep
036 Olympia Heights FL Miami-Dade County 12,399 51.0% $2,124 15.2% Dem
037 North Merrick NY Nassau County 12,366 51.0% $2,906 5.4% Dem
038 Glen Rock NJ Bergen County 12,154 51.0% $1,930 9.8% Dem
039 Palos Heights IL Cook County 12,152 51.0% $2,558 6.6% Dem
040 Macedonia OH Summit County 12,152 51.0% $2,190 9.6% Dem
041 Markham IL Cook County 11,355 51.0% $1,621 25.1% Dem
042 Tucson Mountains AZ Pima County 11,353 51.0% $1,450 3.8% Dem
043 Woodbury NY Orange County 11,334 51.0% $1,868 10.8% IND
044 Waggaman LA Jefferson Parish 11,330 51.0% $1,510 29.8% Rep
045 Burr Ridge IL DuPage County 11,141 51.0% $3,501 6.0% Dem
046 Elon NC Alamance County 11,032 51.0% $2,080 29.9% Rep
047 Pompton Plains NJ Morris County 10,971 51.0% $3,129 18.8% IND
048 Kaneohe Base HI Honolulu County 10,919 51.0% $3,410 98.4% Dem
049 Westwood Lakes FL Miami-Dade County 10,553 51.0% $2,472 23.2% Dem
050 Bee Ridge FL Sarasota County 10,334 51.0% $2,118 18.5% Rep
051 Fallston MD Harford County 10,013 51.0% $2,268 2.8% Rep
052 Centereach NY Suffolk County 31,839 49.9% $2,420 13.5% IND
053 Terryville NY Suffolk County 10,794 49.7% $2,265 26.7% IND
054 Tamiami FL Miami-Dade County 49,752 49.6% $1,939 28.3% Dem
055 New City NY Rockland County 34,458 49.3% $2,242 6.8% IND
056 Lake Los Angeles CA Los Angeles County 13,051 49.3% $1,530 28.2% Dem
057 Country Club CA San Joaquin County 10,161 49.3% $1,848 28.4% Dem
058 Marco Island FL Collier County 16,205 49.2% $1,990 10.6% Rep
059 Davenport FL Polk County 13,238 49.2% $1,914 10.7% Rep
060 Lakewood NJ Ocean County 69,585 49.1% $1,718 60.9% Rep
061 Lake Elmo MN Washington County 13,140 49.0% $2,407 6.5% Dem
062 Central LA East Baton Rouge Parish 29,783 48.8% $1,309 11.2% Dem
063 Sun Lakes AZ Maricopa County 13,924 48.8% $1,938 12.0% IND
064 Palos Verdes Estates CA Los Angeles County 12,925 48.8% $3,217 10.3% Dem
065 Bargersville IN Johnson County 10,752 48.5% $1,379 26.7% Rep
066 Schofield Barracks HI Honolulu County 16,270 48.4% $3,230 100.0% Dem
067 Middle Island NY Suffolk County 11,027 48.2% $1,868 30.8% IND
068 Five Forks SC Greenville County 18,656 48.1% $2,178 13.4% Rep
069 Stony Point NY Rockland County 12,728 48.0% $1,749 13.4% IND
070 Riverdale IL Cook County 10,340 47.9% $1,231 48.5% Dem
071 Royse City TX Rockwall County 20,037 47.8% $2,078 16.2% Rep
072 Pinole CA Contra Costa County 18,761 47.8% $2,700 20.6% Dem
073 Aldine TX Harris County 17,167 47.7% $1,428 38.1% Dem
074 Dolton IL Cook County 20,825 47.6% $1,384 27.4% Dem
075 Leisure City FL Miami-Dade County 27,808 47.5% $1,723 56.4% Dem
076 Castle Pines CO Douglas County 13,388 47.4% $2,211 19.3% Rep
077 Fort Lewis WA Pierce County 15,167 47.2% $2,282 99.0% Dem
078 Nanakuli HI Honolulu County 12,383 47.2% $1,690 32.6% Dem
079 Woodmere LA Jefferson Parish 11,879 47.2% $1,382 21.3% Rep
080 North Lauderdale FL Broward County 45,234 47.0% $2,081 39.9% Dem
081 The Crossings FL Miami-Dade County 22,963 47.0% $2,103 27.4% Dem
082 East Meadow NY Nassau County 36,821 46.9% $2,890 10.6% Dem
083 Midlothian IL Cook County 13,948 46.8% $1,249 24.1% Dem
084 Castaic CA Los Angeles County 17,999 46.7% $1,770 16.9% Dem
085 Country Club Hills IL Cook County 16,324 46.6% $1,709 26.0% Dem
086 Orangeburg SC Orangeburg County 13,253 46.6% $848 55.4% Dem
087 Oatfield OR Clackamas County 13,294 46.5% $1,786 14.8% Dem
088 Makaha HI Honolulu County 10,066 46.5% $1,868 53.6% Dem
089 College Park MD Prince George's County 34,540 46.4% $1,912 66.0% Dem
090 Ruston LA Lincoln Parish 22,284 46.3% $816 63.8% Rep
091 Heartland TX Kaufman County 10,607 46.1% $2,333 7.7% Rep
092 Iona FL Lee County 13,631 46.0% $1,913 28.0% Rep
093 Richmond TX Fort Bend County 12,582 46.0% $1,319 46.5% Dem
094 Davis CA Yolo County 66,978 45.7% $2,187 56.5% Dem
095 Lauderdale Lakes FL Broward County 36,404 45.7% $1,663 52.4% Dem
096 Jenison MI Ottawa County 17,582 45.7% $2,306 12.1% Rep
097 Maltby WA Snohomish County 10,910 45.7% $2,158 9.5% Dem
098 Orange City FL Volusia County 14,372 45.6% $1,607 41.3% Rep
099 Holiday FL Pasco County 22,785 45.5% $1,239 33.7% Rep
100 Four Corners TX Fort Bend County 11,692 45.5% $1,519 26.1% 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.