Rent Prices by State 2024

What this chart shows. The price level of housing rents in each state and the District of Columbia in 2024, where 100 is the national average. The District of Columbia is highest at 155.0, and California is the highest state at 154.3, followed by New Jersey at 134.3. West Virginia is lowest at 54.2, below Mississippi at 56.5 and Arkansas at 58.2; rents in California are 2.8 times the West Virginia level.

How the data is collected. Rents come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey microdata: the monthly contract rents that tenants report, with any utility payments taken out. BEA does not estimate a separate price for owner-occupied homes; the rent price level is applied to renters and homeowners alike, and the result is combined with the other price groups using state spending weights.

Background. Rents vary between states far more than the prices of goods: they run from 54.2 to 155.0, while goods prices stay between 93.6 and 111.6. 19 of the 51 areas are above the national rent level. Florida shows how much rent can drive the total: its rent level is 122.1, while its overall price level is 103.4.

Limits. This is a price level for renting a home, not house prices, mortgage payments or property taxes, so it says nothing directly about the cost of buying. Survey rents include long-standing tenancies that pay less than new leases, and a single state figure averages its most expensive cities with its smallest towns.