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“Lower rents, combined with stable or increased minimum wages, have offered a break to renters in some metro areas this year, though many minimum wage earners still struggle to find affordable rents,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com®. “With minimum wages set to increase in more than half of the top 50 markets next year, and a projected 0.1% annual decline in median asking rents in 2025, we expect some further relief in the coming year; however, more new construction is still one of the biggest levers we have to help with affordability.”

To better understand the hurdles faced by hourly workers in today’s rental market, this month, Realtor.com® analyzed how many hours per week a renter would need to work at local minimum wage rates to afford a typical 0-2 bedroom home. Among the top 10 markets with the largest year-over-year rent declines in November, fewer working hours were required to afford the median rent compared to the same time last year. Yet only in Denver and Phoenix could two minimum wage earners each work 40 hours or less per week and affordably split the median rent for a 0-2 bedroom unit.
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Minimum wage earners need to work extended hours to afford rents
To keep their half of the rent at an affordable 30% of their budgets, two minimum wage earners would have to each work 82 hours per week in Nashville, Tenn., 79 hours in Austin,Texas and 77 hours in Dallas, despite large year-over-year rent declines. The affordability crunch is worst in markets that are subject to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. But in San Francisco, where the minimum wage is $16, and San Diego, where it’s $16.85, workers would still need to work 65 and 62 hours per week respectively to afford the median rent. By contrast, in Denver and Phoenix, two minimum wage earners would each need to work 38 and 40 hours per week respectively to afford the median rent.

Higher minimum wages and falling rents point to continued relief in 2025
Minimum wages will rise in 23 of the top 50 markets on Jan. 1, 2025, while additional markets will see increases later in 2025. If rents hold steady, eight of those markets are expected to see at least a two-hour reduction in weekly working hours at minimum wage needed to afford rent. In both St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., where the minimum wage is due to rise to $13.75 per hour from $12.30, two workers earning that wage will each need to work four hours less per week to afford the median rent. Minimum wage earners will need to work two hours less in six markets: Sacramento, Calif., Virginia Beach, Va., Riverside, Calif., San Francisco, New York, and San Jose, Calif.

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Media Contact:
Greg Taylor
SVP Marketing
LinkedIn