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Ranking · HUD

Ranking: hourly wage to rent a 2-bedroom by state

52 states ranked from highest to lowest. The highest is California ($50.62) and the lowest Puerto Rico ($12.33); the United States figure is $33.65. It compares housing costs, nothing more: it says nothing about quality of life.

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Type your county and see its figure next to your state's and the U.S.
    United States
    $33.65
    per hour · Fiscal year 2027
    Highest: California
    $50.62
    50% above the U.S.
    Lowest: Puerto Rico
    $12.33
    63% below the U.S.

    Fair Market Rents · Fiscal year 2027 Source: Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents (HUD)

    How it spreads across the states

    In short

    What the ranking says

    The 5 highest are California ($50.62), Massachusetts ($49.35), Hawaii ($47.44), District of Columbia ($46.88) and New York ($46.19).

    The 5 lowest are Puerto Rico ($12.33), West Virginia ($19.98), Arkansas ($20.40), Mississippi ($20.90) and Wyoming ($21.04).

    The biggest gap between two consecutive places is between no. 51, West Virginia ($19.98), and no. 52, Puerto Rico ($12.33).

    2 states share a figure with another and so sit at the same place; the biggest tie is 2 states, at $29.38.

    The highest

    1. 1. California $50.62+50.4%
    2. 2. Massachusetts $49.35+46.6%
    3. 3. Hawaii $47.44+41.0%

    The lowest

    1. 51. Puerto Rico $12.33−63.4%
    2. 50. West Virginia $19.98−40.6%
    3. 49. Arkansas $20.40−39.4%
    Hourly wage to rent a 2-bedroom by state, highest to lowest · Fiscal year 2027
    See the map

    The states, highest first

    United States: $33.65

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    Fair Market Rents · Fiscal year 2027 Source: Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents (HUD)

    The counties at each end

    Among the 3222 counties with data, the 20 highest and the 20 lowest. Tap a county to open its page.

    The highest

    1. 1 Santa Cruz CountyCalifornia $81.81
    2. 2= Marin CountyCalifornia $71.10
    3. 2= San Francisco CountyCalifornia $71.10
    4. 2= San Mateo CountyCalifornia $71.10
    5. 3 Nantucket CountyMassachusetts $68.90
    6. 4 Napa CountyCalifornia $64.90
    7. 5 Santa Clara CountyCalifornia $62.92
    8. 6 Santa Barbara CountyCalifornia $59.73
    9. 7 Orange CountyCalifornia $58.79
    10. 8= Essex CountyMassachusetts $57.85
    11. 8= Middlesex CountyMassachusetts $57.85
    12. 8= Norfolk CountyMassachusetts $57.85
    13. 8= Plymouth CountyMassachusetts $57.85
    14. 8= Suffolk CountyMassachusetts $57.85
    15. 9 San Benito CountyCalifornia $57.77
    16. 10= Bronx CountyNew York $57.13
    17. 10= Kings CountyNew York $57.13
    18. 10= New York CountyNew York $57.13
    19. 10= Putnam CountyNew York $57.13
    20. 10= Queens CountyNew York $57.13

    The lowest

    1. 714= Vieques MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    2. 714= Utuado MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    3. 714= Santa Isabel MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    4. 714= Salinas MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    5. 714= Patillas MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    6. 714= Maricao MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    7. 714= Las Marías MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    8. 714= Lares MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    9. 714= Jayuya MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    10. 714= Guayama MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    11. 714= Guánica MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    12. 714= Culebra MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    13. 714= Coamo MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    14. 714= Arroyo MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    15. 714= Adjuntas MunicipioPuerto Rico $9.94
    16. 713= Orocovis MunicipioPuerto Rico $10.02
    17. 713= Ciales MunicipioPuerto Rico $10.02
    18. 713= Barranquitas MunicipioPuerto Rico $10.02
    19. 713= Aibonito MunicipioPuerto Rico $10.02
    20. 712= Yauco MunicipioPuerto Rico $10.29

    What it means for your family

    It is what one full-time worker would need to earn per hour to pay the fair market rent for 2 bedrooms. If two people work in your household, add both incomes.

    What to do with this figure

    How to read this ranking

    1. 1A cost ranking is not a quality-of-life ranking: a high or low value says nothing about what living in a place is like.
    2. 2Ties share a rank. When many places share the minimum (the FHA floor), they appear with the same rank.
    3. 3The difference from the United States compares with the national figure from the same source and date.
    4. It assumes one full-time income. With two incomes or more hours, the wage each person needs is lower.
    5. 30% is a reference, not a rule: many households pay more, and many programs use other limits.
    6. It inherits the limits of the Fair Market Rent: an administrative reference by area, not the price of each home.