OSCOPE DATA

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Rent in California costs more than twice what it does in West Virginia

Median rent ranges from $872 a month in West Virginia to $2,036 in California, a gap of nearly $14,000 a year.

, in Housing

The typical American renter pays $1,413 a month, including utilities. But the figure changes a lot from one state to the next.

Median monthly rent by stateGross rent (rent plus utilities), 2020–2024
  1. California $2,036
  2. Hawaii $1,971
  3. D.C. $1,954
  4. Massachusetts $1,762
  5. Colorado $1,761
  6. Washington $1,760
  7. New Jersey $1,720
  8. Maryland $1,705
  9. Florida $1,669
  10. New York $1,621
  11. Nevada $1,597
  12. Virginia $1,579
  13. Arizona $1,543
  14. Oregon $1,525
  15. Utah $1,496
  16. New Hampshire $1,491
  17. Connecticut $1,488
  18. Alaska $1,419
  19. Texas $1,403
  20. Delaware $1,401
  21. Georgia $1,393
  22. Rhode Island $1,342
  23. Minnesota $1,280
  24. Illinois $1,274
  25. Idaho $1,238
  26. Vermont $1,234
  27. North Carolina $1,228
  28. Pennsylvania $1,209
  29. Tennessee $1,189
  30. South Carolina $1,180
  31. Maine $1,139
  32. Michigan $1,129
  33. Wisconsin $1,087
  34. Montana $1,081
  35. Nebraska $1,072
  36. New Mexico $1,067
  37. Louisiana $1,064
  38. Indiana $1,062
  39. Kansas $1,060
  40. Ohio $1,034
  41. Missouri $1,033
  42. Oklahoma $1,014
  43. Alabama $1,007
  44. Wyoming $992
  45. Iowa $972
  46. Kentucky $967
  47. Mississippi $954
  48. North Dakota $954
  49. Arkansas $947
  50. South Dakota $946
  51. West Virginia $872

United States: $1,413

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. oscopedata.com
Show the data
RankStateMedian rent
1California$2,036
2Hawaii$1,971
3District of Columbia$1,954
4Massachusetts$1,762
5Colorado$1,761
6Washington$1,760
7New Jersey$1,720
8Maryland$1,705
9Florida$1,669
10New York$1,621
11Nevada$1,597
12Virginia$1,579
13Arizona$1,543
14Oregon$1,525
15Utah$1,496
16New Hampshire$1,491
17Connecticut$1,488
18Alaska$1,419
19Texas$1,403
20Delaware$1,401
21Georgia$1,393
22Rhode Island$1,342
23Minnesota$1,280
24Illinois$1,274
25Idaho$1,238
26Vermont$1,234
27North Carolina$1,228
28Pennsylvania$1,209
29Tennessee$1,189
30South Carolina$1,180
31Maine$1,139
32Michigan$1,129
33Wisconsin$1,087
34Montana$1,081
35Nebraska$1,072
36New Mexico$1,067
37Louisiana$1,064
38Indiana$1,062
39Kansas$1,060
40Ohio$1,034
41Missouri$1,033
42Oklahoma$1,014
43Alabama$1,007
44Wyoming$992
45Iowa$972
46Kentucky$967
47Mississippi$954
47North Dakota$954
49Arkansas$947
50South Dakota$946
51West Virginia$872
United States$1,413

California tops the list at $2,036, followed by Hawaii and the District of Columbia, both above $1,950. Fourteen places have a median rent above $1,500.

At the other end, eight states sit below $1,000 a month: West Virginia, South Dakota, Arkansas, North Dakota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Iowa and Wyoming.

Expensive is not the same as unaffordable

Higher rents often come with higher incomes. One way to compare is to set a year of median rent against median household income.

By that measure, Florida comes out on top: a year of its median rent equals 27% of the typical household's income, compared with 21% nationwide. California, Nevada and Hawaii are close behind. North Dakota is the lowest, at 15%.

This is a rough comparison. It uses the income of all households, and renters tend to earn less than homeowners, so the real burden on renters is heavier than these shares suggest.

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