30% of San Diego renters spend half their paycheck on housing
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About 30% of San Diego County renters are spending more than half their income on housing, according to Census data released in September.
Why it matters: An excessive rent burden can make it harder to afford other basic needs, like groceries and transportation — or to save for a down payment on a home.
Zoom in: Rent in San Diego is slightly below where it was last year, as the post-pandemic hike calms down.
- But it's still up nearly 25% from the end of 2019.
By the numbers: Median rent for a studio apartment in the city is about $2,000, according to Zillow.
- 1 bedroom: $2,400
- 2 bedroom: $3,200
- 3 bedroom: $4,200
Zoom out: Florida is home to several especially rent-burdened metros, which could be due to the state's large number of retirees, who may have relatively less current income.
- On the other side are Ogden, Utah (17.9%); Northwest Arkansas (18%) and Wichita, Kansas (18.7%).
- That's according to the 2023 1-year American Community Survey, and among metros with at least 200,000 households.
Between the lines: Geography is only part of the equation here — race plays a role, too.
- Nationally, 30.6% of Black renters are spending more than half their income on rent, compared to 23.4% of white renters.
Stunning stat: The real median gross cost of renting — that's rent plus utility/energy costs — grew faster annually (+3.8%) than real median home values (+1.8%) last year for the first time in a decade, the Census Bureau points out.