No Major U.S. Metro Is Affordable for Minimum-Wage Renters in 2026
A full-time worker earning local minimum wage cannot comfortably afford a one-bedroom apartment in any of the 50 largest U.S. metros.
ST. LOUIS, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- None of the 50 most populous U.S. metros are affordable for renting a one-bedroom apartment on a minimum-wage salary, according to a new report from Best Interest Financial and Clever Real Estate, a St. Louis-based real estate company.
The study measured affordability using the 30% rule, which holds that a household should spend no more than 30% of its gross monthly income on housing.
In 14 of the 50 metros, the monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment costs more than a minimum-wage worker earns in an entire month. In 12 metros, four minimum-wage workers would need to share a one-bedroom apartment to afford rent under the 30% rule.
Even more, five minimum-wage workers would need to share a one-bedroom apartment to afford monthly rent in eight metros:
- Atlanta
- Dallas
- Raleigh
- Nashville
- Austin
- Charlotte
- Philadelphia
- Salt Lake City
Atlanta is the most expensive metro for minimum-wage workers, who would spend 143% of their gross monthly income on typical rent. A minimum-wage worker in Atlanta brings home about $1,160 a month, roughly $500 short of the $1,660 needed to cover rent.
Conversely, Missouri is home to the most affordable metros. St. Louis and Kansas City rank as the two cheapest cities for renting on a minimum wage. In St. Louis, the most affordable metro, workers earn $15 an hour and pay $995 for a one-bedroom apartment, with rent consuming about 41% of gross monthly income, still above the recommended 30%.
Even if every metro raised its minimum wage by $10 an hour, only St. Louis, Kansas City, and Detroit would become affordable for renters.
Although minimum wages vary across the country, 17 of the 50 most-populous metros still pay the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Federal minimum-wage workers would have to work an impossible 174 hours a week to afford the median one-bedroom rent in the 50 largest metro areas.
Read the full report at: https://bestinterest.com/research/rent-to-income-ratio/
About Best Interest Financial
At Best Interest Financial, borrowers come first, with personalized guidance and tailored mortgage options. Since 2024, hundreds of families have trusted Best Interest Financial to achieve their dream of homeownership. Now an affiliate of Clever Real Estate, a free agent-matching service that's saved consumers over $240 million on Realtor fees since 2017, Best Interest shares a mission to connect people with the best solutions for every step of their real estate journey.
About Clever Real Estate
Clever Real Estate's content reaches over 10 million readers annually, and its nationwide agent matching service has a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 4,315+ customer reviews. Since launching in 2017, Clever has reached over $16.5 billion in real estate sold, matched over 240,000 customers with realtors, and saved consumers over $240 million on commission fees. Clever's network spans over 13,000 agents across all 50 states.
CONTACT:
Nicole Lehman
Clever Real Estate
[email protected]
724-719-0406
SOURCE Best Interest Financial
Share this article