Lowest Rent Burden by City, San Francisco, California Leads (2026)

Name: Lowest rent burden by city and state, The Honest Local
Creator: The Honest Local
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

San Francisco, California has the lowest rent burden of the 105 US cities we rank, with rent at 25.1% of income (Census ACS, 2020-2024). Seattle, Washington is next, with rent at 27.4% of income.

By The Honest Local · 105 cities · every value links to its public source

25.1%San Francisco, California leads on the list, the lowest reading of 105 cities

best neighborhoods in san francisco, moving to san francisco — **San Francisco, California**, No. 1 of 105.

The top five cities rent as a share of income

No. 1San Francisco, California25.1%rent as a share of income
No. 2Seattle, Washington27.4%rent as a share of income
No. 3Wichita, Kansas27.5%rent as a share of income
No. 4Huntsville, Alabama27.9%rent as a share of income
No. 5St. Louis, Missouri28.2%rent as a share of income

Lowest Rent Burden by City on the map

Lowest rent burden by city and state, cities hover for the numbers, click for every one

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Median gross rent as a share of household income, the Census Bureau's own housing-burden line, lowest first.

Lowest Rent Burden by City, all 105

The full ranking rent as a share of income

	Place	rent as a share of income
1	San Francisco, Californiabig city	25.1%
2	Seattle, Washingtonbig city	27.4%
3	Wichita, Kansasbig city	27.5%
4	Huntsville, Alabama	27.9%
5	St. Louis, Missouribig city	28.2%
6	Toledo, Ohiobig city	28.4%
7	Ogden, Utah	28.5%
8	Chattanooga, Tennessee	28.6%
8	Washington, DCbig city	28.6%
10	Columbus, Ohiobig city	28.8%
11	Tulsa, Oklahomabig city	29.0%
12	Austin, Texasbig city	29.1%
12	Louisville, Kentuckybig city	29.1%
14	Denver, Coloradobig city	29.2%
14	Providence, Rhode Island	29.2%
16	Chicago, Illinoisbig city	29.3%
16	Minneapolis, Minnesotabig city	29.3%
16	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniabig city	29.3%
19	Durham, North Carolinabig city	29.4%
20	Oklahoma City, Oklahomabig city	29.5%
21	Boise, Idaho	29.6%
21	Des Moines, Iowa	29.6%
21	Fayetteville, Arkansas	29.6%
21	Grand Rapids, Michigan	29.6%
21	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	29.6%
21	Little Rock, Arkansas	29.6%
27	Charlotte, North Carolinabig city	29.9%
27	Provo, Utah	29.9%
29	Kansas City, Missouribig city	30.0%
29	Omaha, Nebraskabig city	30.0%
31	Cincinnati, Ohiobig city	30.1%
31	Greenville, South Carolina	30.1%
31	Madison, Wisconsinbig city	30.1%
31	San Jose, Californiabig city	30.1%
35	Indianapolis, Indianabig city	30.4%
35	Lakeland, Florida	30.4%
35	Salt Lake City, Utah	30.4%
35	Winston-Salem, North Carolinabig city	30.4%
39	McAllen, Texas	30.5%
39	Milwaukee, Wisconsinbig city	30.5%
41	Boston, Massachusettsbig city	30.6%
41	Portland, Maine	30.6%
43	Albany, New York	30.8%
44	Atlanta, Georgiabig city	30.9%
44	Dallas, Texasbig city	30.9%
44	Raleigh, North Carolinabig city	30.9%
47	Phoenix, Arizonabig city	31.0%
48	Richmond, Virginia	31.1%
49	New York, New Yorkbig city	31.3%
49	Reno, Nevadabig city	31.3%
51	Albuquerque, New Mexicobig city	31.4%
51	Buffalo, New Yorkbig city	31.4%
51	Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniabig city	31.4%
51	Portland, Oregonbig city	31.4%
55	Cleveland, Ohiobig city	31.5%
56	Spokane, Washington	31.6%
57	Akron, Ohio	31.7%
57	Asheville, North Carolina	31.7%
57	Dayton, Ohio	31.7%
60	El Paso, Texasbig city	31.8%
60	Nashville, Tennesseebig city	31.8%
60	Vancouver, Washington	31.8%
63	Knoxville, Tennessee	31.9%
64	Baltimore, Marylandbig city	32.0%
64	Colorado Springs, Coloradobig city	32.0%
64	Rochester, New York	32.0%
64	San Antonio, Texasbig city	32.0%
64	Worcester, Massachusetts	32.0%
69	Houston, Texasbig city	32.1%
70	Virginia Beach, Virginiabig city	32.2%
71	Greensboro, North Carolinabig city	32.4%
71	Honolulu, Hawaiibig city	32.4%
71	San Diego, Californiabig city	32.4%
74	Charleston, South Carolina	32.7%
75	Jacksonville, Floridabig city	32.8%
75	Sacramento, Californiabig city	32.8%
75	Tucson, Arizonabig city	32.8%
78	Birmingham, Alabama	32.9%
78	Syracuse, New York	32.9%
80	Stockton, Californiabig city	33.1%
81	Memphis, Tennesseebig city	33.2%
82	Savannah, Georgia	33.4%
83	New Haven, Connecticut	33.5%
83	Tampa, Floridabig city	33.5%
85	Bakersfield, Californiabig city	33.8%
86	Oxnard, California	34.0%
86	Riverside, Californiabig city	34.0%
88	Fresno, Californiabig city	34.1%
88	Orlando, Floridabig city	34.1%
90	Melbourne, Florida	34.5%
91	Daytona Beach, Florida	34.7%
91	Las Vegas, Nevadabig city	34.7%
93	Sarasota, Florida	34.8%
94	Allentown, Pennsylvania	35.0%
94	Los Angeles, Californiabig city	35.0%
96	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	35.4%
97	Bridgeport, Connecticut	35.7%
97	Hartford, Connecticut	35.7%
99	Detroit, Michiganbig city	35.9%
99	Jackson, Mississippi	35.9%
99	New Orleans, Louisianabig city	35.9%
102	Columbia, South Carolina	36.0%
103	Poughkeepsie, New York	36.8%
104	Miami, Floridabig city	37.0%
105	Cape Coral, Florida	37.2%

Sources and method

American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, table B25071 (via tape_readings) · 2020-2024

How we got this. Rent burden comes from tape_readings, which src/tape/acs-more.ts reads from the ACS 5-year table-based Summary File, table B25071: median gross rent as a percentage of household income for renter households. Thirty percent is the bar the Bureau and HUD call burdened. Cities and states each rank on their own list, lowest share first. It refreshes annual.

Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.

Photos Shutterstock · More Than Just Parks.