The average monthly rent in California for a two-bedroom apartment was 2,464 U.S. dollars in 2024, while a one-bedroom unit cost 1,989 U.S. dollars. Only renters who earn the area median income (AMI) can afford two-bedroom housing in California. Rent affordable to renters with full-time jobs at mean renter wage, or 30 percent area median income, was lower than the fair market rent of a two-bedroom and one-bedroom apartment in California, making this housing in this state not affordable for them. The rent in California ranked highest among all other states in the United States for a two bedroom apartment in 2024.

Rents for industrial real estate in the U.S. have increased since 2017, with flexible/service space reaching the highest price per square foot in 2024. In just a year, the cost of, flex/service space rose by nearly *****U.S. dollars per square foot. Manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and distribution centers had lower rents and experienced milder growth. Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire, California, are some of the most expensive markets in the country. Office real estate is pricier Industrial real estate is far from being the most expensive commercial property type. For instance, average rental rates in major U.S. metros for office space are much higher than those for industrial space. This is most likely because office units are generally located in urban areas where there is limited space and thus higher demand, whereas industrial units are more suited to the outskirts of such urban areas. Industrial units, such as warehouses or factories, require much more space because they need to house large, heavy equipment or serve as a storage unit for future shipments. Big-box distribution space is gaining in importance Warehouses and distribution may currently command the lowest average rent per square foot among industrial space types, but the growing popularity of the asset class has earned it considerable gains over the past years. In 2021 and 2022, high occupier demand and insufficient supply led to soaring taking rent of big-box buildings. During that time, the vacancy rate of distribution centers fell below ****percent. The development of industrial and logistics facilities has accelerated since then, with the new supply coming to market, causing the vacancy rate to increase and the pressures on rent to ease.

The average monthly rent for all apartment types in the U.S. soared in 2021 and 2022, followed by a slight decline in the next two years. In April 2025, the monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment amounting to ***** U.S. dollars. That was an increase from ***** U.S. dollars in January 2021, but a decline from the peak value of ***** U.S. dollars in August 2022. Where are the most expensive apartments in the U.S.? Apartment rents vary widely from state to state. To afford a two-bedroom apartment in California, for example, a renter needed to earn an average hourly wage of nearly ** U.S. dollars, which was approximately double the average wage in North Carolina and three times as much as the average wage in Arkansas. In fact, rental costs were considerably higher than the hourly minimum wage in all U.S. states. How did rents change in different states in the U.S.? In 2024, some of the most expensive states to rent an apartment only saw a moderate increase in rental prices. Nevertheless, rents increased in most states as of April 2025. In West Virginia, the annual rental growth was the highest, at ***** percent.

In January 2025, apartment rents recorded an annual growth in most U.S. states. Nevertheless, the national average rent declined by about *** percent. West Virginia was the state with the largest rental increase, while Colorado measured the largest decline. California, one of the most expensive states to rent an apartment, such as California, saw an increase of about *** percent from the previous year. How much should you earn to afford to rent an apartment in different states in the U.S.? Both employment opportunities and the living costs vary widely across the country. In California, which is among the most competitive housing markets in the U.S., the hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment rental was roughly ** U.S. dollars, more than twice higher than in North Carolina, Louisiana, or Michigan in 2024. When it comes to the median household income, on the other hand, California does not even make it in the top ten states. How much should you earn to afford a home in some of U.S. largest metros? In 2022, the annual salary needed to buy a median-priced home in the U.S. was ****** U.S. dollars. However, in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, where housing prices are up to two or three times higher, homebuyers would have to earn more than 100,000 U.S. dollars to afford a home. In San Jose, which was the most expensive metro, the annual salary needed for a median-priced home was approximately ******* U.S. dollars.

Fair Market Rents (FMRs) represent the estimated amount (base rent + essential utilities) that a property in a given area typically rents for. The data is primarily used to determine payment standard amounts for the Housing Choice Voucher program; however, FMRs are also used to:

Determine initial renewal rents for expiring project-based Section 8 contracts;

Determine initial rents for housing assistance payment (HAP) contracts in the Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program (Mod Rehab), rent ceilings for rental units in both the HOME Investment Partnerships program and the Emergency Solution Grants (ESG) program;

Calculate of maximum award amounts for Continuum of Care recipients and the maximum amount of rent a recipient may pay for property leased with Continuum of Care funds, and;

Calculate flat rent amounts in Public Housing Units.

Data is updated annualy in accordance with 42 USC 1437f which requires FMRs be posted at least 30 days before they are effective and that they are effective at the start of the federal fiscal year, October 1st.In order to calculate rents for units with more than four bedrooms, an extra 15% cost is added to the four bedroom unit value. The formula is to multiply the four bedroom rent by 1.15. For example, in FY21 the rent for a four bedroom unit in the El Centro, California Micropolitan Statistical Area is $1,444. The rent for a five bedroom unit would be $1,444 * 1.15 or $1,661. Each subsequent bedroom is an additional 15%. A six bedroom unit would be $1,444 * 1.3 or $1,877. These values are not included in the feature service.

To learn more about Fair Market Rents visit: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html/

Data Dictionary: DD_Fair Market Rents

Date of Coverage: FY2022 Data Updated: Annuallyhttps://catalog.data.gov/dataset/fair-market-rents-fair-market-rents-for-the-section-8-housing-assistance-payments-program-

The monthly median asking rent for unfurnished apartments in the United States rose by about ** U.S. dollars in 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, the median rent amounted to ***** U.S. dollars, up from ***** U.S. dollars in 2023. This increase was in line with a decade of steady growth, interrupted only in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2023. The U.S. rental market As rental apartment vacancy rates fall, rents are on the rise. This makes it more difficult for Americans to, first, find an apartment to rent, and second, find an apartment which they can afford. Nevertheless, renting has become much more common in recent years, with the number of renter households having substantially increased in the past two decades. In 2024, there were approximately **** million renter households in the U.S. Rents in different states Of course, rents vary from state to state. The most expensive rents are found in Hawaii, California, District of Colombia, New Jersey, and Florida. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, growth was the strongest in the Sun Belt states, and especially in states with lower costs of living, such as Texas. In Austin, TX, the average rent soared by nearly ** percent in 2021, and remained elevated, despite a slight decline in 2023.

The Industrial Equipment Rental and Leasing industry has expanded through the end of 2025, mainly driven by the increasing cost of equipment ownership and businesses prioritizing flexibility and cost-effectiveness. The penetration rate in the construction and industrial equipment rental sector has risen to 57.0% in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic peaks. This growing preference for rentals has particularly boosted demand in the agriculture, construction, audiovisual and healthcare sectors. Notably, rental companies like Sunbelt Rentals increasingly adopt digital platforms and IoT technologies to optimize fleet management, indicating an industry-wide shift toward digitalization and equipment efficiency. Industry revenue will climb at a CAGR of 6.0% to $54.7 billion through the end of 2025 and is set to gain 3.4% in 2025 alone. Several external factors stimulate rental demand, such as the surge in equipment requirement because of cleanup efforts after multiple hurricanes and large construction projects. Companies with larger, diverse fleets, such as United Rentals and Ashtead Group, have particularly benefited from mega-projects. At the same time, merger and acquisition activities have seen a significant gain. The recent bidding war for H&E Equipment Services demonstrates the intense competition among top players to gain market share through acquiring competitors. Consistently high profits have encouraged new entrants, especially since the industry remains relatively fragmented with low market share concentration. By the end of 2030, the industrial equipment rental industry is expected to strengthen. The anticipated climb in raw material and other input costs, the shift toward smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 demanding advanced machinery and the high costs associated with equipment ownership are all likely to drive more companies to turn to rental services as a cost-effective alternative. The aging US population is expected to strengthen demand for home healthcare equipment. Meanwhile, the focus on expansion through acquisitions, technological upgrades and entrance into new markets is expected to continue. Despite the promising outlook, future expansion may be limited because of market consolidation, particularly for mid-sized companies. Industrial equipment rental and leasing revenue will climb at a CAGR of 2.9% through the end of 2030 to $63.1 billion.

The average rent for warehouses and distribution centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, has increased year-on-years since 2017. In the first quarter of 2024, the average rent amounted to 16.52 U.S. dollars per square foot. That was significantly higher than the average warehouse rent in the United States.

In California, the estimated fair market rent for a two-bedroom accommodation amounted to 2,464 U.S. dollars in 2024. It was one of the least affordable states in terms of housing that year, as someone would need to earn at least twice the minimum wage to afford a two-bedroom rental unit there.

The University of California — Berkeley had the highest monthly rent for student housing among the 30 universities with the highest enrollment in the United States in 2024. The effective rent for student housing at the University of California — Berkeley, which occupied the **** spot in terms of enrollment, was ***** U.S. dollars per month. Texas A&M University, which had the most enrollment in fall 2024, had one of the most affordable rent at *** U.S. dollars.

As of January 2025, the rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Hawaii was about 120 U.S. dollars higher than in California. The states of Hawaii and California ranked as the most expensive within the United States for apartment renters. Conversely, an apartment in Arkansas was almost three times more affordable than one in Hawaii.In 2025, the average monthly rent in the U.S. declined slightly. Nevertheless, in rents increased in most states, with West Virginia registering the highest growth.

In 2023, Alaska reported the highest rent for public housing among all the states in the United States. The average monthly rent in Alaska amounted to 715 U.S. dollars for government-subsidized housing. California, New York, and Hawaii were some of the states with the highest average rent, with rental costs above 550 U.S. dollars. On the other hand, Puerto Rico offered the most affordable public housing with the lowest rent among all states, coming in at just 121 U.S. dollars. Some other affordable states for low-income families were Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Ohio, all costing less than 320 U.S. dollars.

Among the ** markets with the largest industrial and logistics real estate inventory in the U.S., Orange County, CA, had the highest rental rate in the first quarter of 2025. The square footage rent of warehouse and distribution centers was ***** U.S. dollars, while for manufacturing sites it was ***** U.S. dollars. In the largest market, Chicago, IL, rents were significantly lower, at ****U.S. dollars.

In District of Columbia, the average rent per square foot was 2.95 U.S. dollars in 2018, whereas renters in Oregon were expected to pay half as much in rent per square foot. DC was the most expensive state for renters, followed by New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts and California.

Why is DC so expensive?

District of Columbia is the center of the U.S. political system with all three branches of federal government sitting there: Congress (legislative), President (executive) and the Supreme Court (judicial). The above average household incomes of its residents mean that high rents are still sustainable for the rental market.

Limited space in DC

DC has the largest share of apartment dwellers in the country. This is most likely due to limited space, as the federal district has a much higher population density than the states. The political importance of DC and the high population density suggest that the federal district is likely to retain its spot as the most expensive rental market in the future.

In 2020, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara in California was the most expensive metropolitan area for both renting and owning a home in the United States. The median monthly housing costs for owners in 2020 were 2,609 U.S. dollars, whereas for renters they were 2,378 U.S. dollars. In all thirty metropolitan areas, renting was more affordable than buying. As of February 2021, the average rent for a three bedroom apartment was nearly 1,300 U.S. dollars.

This statistic shows the median increase in housing costs in selected markets in the United States from 2014 to 2017. In that period, median housing costs in San Jose, California increased by 2,940 U.S. dollars.

Of the most populous cities in the U.S., San Jose, California had the highest annual income requirement at ******* U.S. dollars annually for homeowners to have an affordable and comfortable life in 2024. This can be compared to Houston, Texas, where homeowners needed an annual income of ****** U.S. dollars in 2024.

Davis, CA had the highest share of Gen Z rent applicants in California of 69 percent in 2021. It was also the second most popular city among Gen Z apartment seekers in the United States. The varying interest of Gen Zers can be explained with different factors, such as the median age of the population, apartment availability, and the monthly rental cost.