Find the maximum rent you can comfortably afford using HUD's 30% cost-burdened threshold with real ACS median rent and income data for 32,000+ US cities.
Rent affordability comes down to one ratio: what share of a tenant's gross income goes to housing. The federal benchmark, set by HUD, is 30% — a household paying more than that is "cost burdened," and above 50% it's "severely cost burdened." That single number drives underwriting decisions, subsidy eligibility, and the income minimums most Oregon landlords write into their screening criteria.
In Oregon the math is tight. The state's average gross rent was $1,500 a month in 2023, while the average household income for renters was just $53,700 a year — roughly $4,475 a month gross. At the 30% line, that renter can afford about $1,343 in rent, below the statewide average. It is no surprise that 52.3% of Oregon renter households were cost burdened in 2024, a higher share than the national average.
The affordability calculation is simple: multiply gross monthly income by 0.30 to get the rent a household can carry without being cost burdened. A renter earning Oregon's average renter income of $53,700 a year has about $4,475 in gross monthly income, so the 30% ceiling lands near $1,343 — under the state's $1,500 average gross rent. Run it the other way for a listing: to afford $1,500 in rent at 30%, a household needs roughly $5,000 a month, or about $60,000 a year, gross.
The 30% threshold is a national HUD convention, not an Oregon statute. It measures gross (pre-tax) income against gross rent, which HUD defines to include contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities. Landlords should note the gap between the rule and reality: with the average Oregon renter earning below the affordability line for the average unit, a large share of applicants will technically exceed 30% on paper.
Oregon runs hotter than the country on housing cost. In 2024, 52.3% of Oregon renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing — down from 55.1% a decade earlier, but still above the national figure. Nationally, about 49.7% of renter households (roughly 21 million) were cost burdened as of 2023.
The income divide behind those numbers is stark. Oregon's average renter household earned $53,700 in 2023, against $100,300 for homeowners — renters make well under half. That gap explains why an income-based screen that looks routine on paper can still exclude a majority of the local renter pool in higher-rent markets like Portland Metro, Bend, and Eugene.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition converts local rent into an hourly "Housing Wage" — the pay needed to afford a unit at 30% of income working full time. For Oregon in 2025, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom was $1,717 a month, requiring a Housing Wage of $33.02 an hour.
Measured against Oregon's minimum wage, the gap is wide. The standard-tier minimum is $15.05 an hour through June 30, 2026, rising to $15.55 on July 1, 2026 (Portland Metro goes to $16.80; non-urban counties to $14.55). A minimum-wage worker would need to work about 88 hours a week to afford that two-bedroom at fair market rent — useful context when a landlord weighs a single-earner application against the rent.
Most landlords translate the 30% rule into an income multiple. A common convention is requiring gross monthly income of 2.5x to 3x the rent — a 3x rule mirrors the 30% affordability line, while 2.5x is a looser cut used in tighter markets. These are industry practices, not Oregon-mandated figures; the state sets no statutory income-to-rent ratio.
Oregon does regulate how income is treated. Under ORS 659A.421, a landlord may not reject an applicant because of their source of income, which includes Section 8 vouchers and other housing assistance — so an income multiple cannot be applied in a way that screens out voucher holders based on the subsidy. When a subsidy covers part of the rent, the income test should be measured against the tenant's out-of-pocket share, not the full contract rent.
Oregon's landlord-tenant screening rules (ORS 90.295 and ORS 90.303) set the guardrails around evaluation, and ORS 90.304 requires a written denial within 14 days stating the reason. Publish your income criteria in writing before collecting a screening fee, apply the same multiple to every applicant, and document how each decision was reached.
Practical guidance for Oregon rentals: state your minimum as a clear multiple (for example, gross income of 2.5x-3x rent), count all lawful income sources including vouchers and benefits, and offset the subsidized portion of rent when a tenant receives assistance. Consistent, written, source-neutral criteria both satisfy Oregon law and give you a defensible basis if a denied applicant challenges the decision.
Pick one of the largest US cities to see your budget against actual ACS median rent and income for that city.
Figures on this page are drawn from primary sources: HUD's cost-burden definition and Fair Market Rents; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data (via the Oregon Employment Department's QualityInfo and USAFacts) for average rent, renter income, and cost-burden rates; the National Low Income Housing Coalition's 2025 Out of Reach report for the Oregon Housing Wage; and Oregon BOLI for minimum-wage rates. Screening rules cite ORS 90.295, 90.303, 90.304, and 659A.421. Income multiples (2.5x-3x rent) are described as industry screening conventions, not Oregon statutory requirements. This page is general information for landlords, not legal advice; confirm current statutes and consult counsel before setting screening criteria.
Median rent and income from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year tables B25064 and B19013. Cost-burdened threshold per HUD glossary. Calculator output is informational, not financial advice. Last updated August 17, 2026.
