# Over half of US renter families now burdened by high rents 2026-08-15T15:41:29+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet More than half of American renter families are now rent-burdened, spending over 30% of income on housing, according to Zillow. The median annual rent for a two-bedroom home nationwide is $21,480. Among families with children under 18, the share rises to 54%. The shortage of roughly 4.7 million homes, driven by two decades of underbuilding after the 2008 financial crisis, is pushing more households into the rental market and keeping prices elevated even as inflation slows. Costs vary sharply by city. A two-bedroom rents for $57,000 annually in New York, $47,136 in San Jose, and $38,400 in San Francisco. Lower-income households bear the heaviest burden: over 80% of renters earning less than $30,000 a year were cost-burdened in 2024, per Harvard University. Zillow economist Kenny Lee told CBS News that zoning restrictions and regulatory hurdles have choked supply. A bipartisan housing bill signed into law this year aims to encourage construction, but experts expect a lag before rents ease. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Harvard University, New York City, US housing market, Zillow Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/over-half-of-us-renter-families-now-burdened-by-high-rents/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/over-half-of-us-renter-families-now-burdened-by-high-rents/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.