Even Six-Figure Earners Are Struggling to Pay Rent, Report Finds

Rent stress is no longer confined to the lowest-income households. A new report from the Urban Institute shows that renters across all income brackets are finding it harder to pay rent each month, with middle-income households seeing the sharpest deterioration.

Middle-Income Renters Feel the Squeeze

The report defines middle-income adults as those earning between $31,300 and $62,600 for a single-person household, or between $53,300 and $106,600 for a family of three. That range should, in theory, cover the average U.S. apartment rent of $1,771. Yet nearly 22% of middle-income renters said they could not pay their full rent on time at least once in 2025, compared with about 14% the year before.

“This increase among middle-income renters is a big and important shift that reflects overall challenges with affordability in the country,” said Samantha Batko, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and co-author of the report, in comments to NPR.

Researchers attribute the trend to rising household expenses. Just over 20% of renters also reported trouble paying utility bills for gas, heating oil or electricity in 2025.

A Problem Unique to Renters

Homeowners, by contrast, have largely kept up with mortgage payments over the past seven years, while renters have been falling behind since 2022. Among lower-income renters, nearly 28% said they had missed or been unable to make a housing payment in 2025, up from roughly 24% in 2019.

Even the highest-income group studied, earning above $62,600 as individuals or $106,600 as a family of three, was not spared. About 7% reported being unable to make a full rent payment at least once in 2025, a 2% rise from the previous year.

Batko said missed, late or partial payments often signal that households are directing limited funds toward essentials such as medication or food. That leaves them more exposed to eviction, a growing risk as more middle-income Americans fall behind.