It's getting harder to afford rent in the U.S., even for middle-income families
Housing affordability challenges are spreading to higher income brackets, according to new research, which found one in five renters struggled last year to pay for their housing in full and on time. (Image credit: Nam Y. Huh)
Housing affordability challenges are spreading to higher income brackets, according to new research, which found one in five renters struggled last year to pay for their housing in full and on time.
(Image credit: Nam Y. Huh)
A "For Rent" sign displays outside an apartment building in Skokie, Ill., in 2024. Researchers from the Urban Institute found that a growing number of renters in the U.S. are struggling to pay for housing each month. Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption
A growing number of renters in the U.S. are struggling to pay for housing each month, according to new research that found more middle-income families may be defaulting on rent and becoming vulnerable to eviction.
While the country's lowest-income renters have always paid an outsized share of their earnings toward housing costs, a new report from the Urban Institute found that families across all income brackets are facing increasingly stark affordability issues.
One in every five middle-income renters surveyed by the institute said that at some point during 2025, they could not afford to pay the full amount of rent when it was due. That's a significant jump from the year prior, when about 14% reported being unable to pay their rent.
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Researchers said housing affordability is being made worse due to mounting economic pressures and the rising costs of everyday necessities. A similar number of renters — slightly more than 20% — also reported struggling to pay for gas, oil or electricity last year.