"Out of Reach"

You Need To Earn $21.60 an Hour To Afford the Rent in Connecticut

Stamford-Norwalk Region Most Expensive in Entire Country

To view Connecticut's "Out of Reach" data,
 click here (PDF)

For occupations in Connecticut that cannot afford the rent, click here  (PDF)  

The full national "Out of Reach" report is available at www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2009
 

A person must earn $21.60 an hour to afford the rent for a modest two-bedroom apartment in Connecticut, according to a national report issued by the Connecticut Housing Coalition in coordination with the National Low Income Housing Coalition. This “housing wage” is the amount a person must earn to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment, without spending more than 30% of total household income on housing costs.   

 “Out of Reach,” the annual report prepared by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, concludes that full-time work does not provide enough income for many families to afford a modest apartment. In fact, a person earning the state’s minimum wage of $8.00 per hour must work nearly three full-time jobs to afford the statewide fair market rent of $1,123 per month for a two-bedroom apartment. In terms of annual income, a Connecticut household must earn $44,938 a year to afford a typical two-bedroom rental.

 Among the report’s other findings:

·        The Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area is the most expensive rental market in the entire country – surpassing cities such as San Francisco, Honolulu, New York and Boston – with a “housing wage” of $32.75 an hour.

·        The Danbury region is the eighth most expensive rental market in the nation.

·        In terms of statewide averages, Connecticut has the sixth least affordable rental housing in the country. 

·        The state’s combined non-metropolitan areas are also costly. The more rural regions of Connecticut rank as the nation’s fourth least affordable for renters.

 The Connecticut Housing Coalition also compared the Out of Reach conclusions with Connecticut Department of Labor data for occupational wages in the state. It found that nearly half (329 of 695) of the state’s occupations do not, on average, provide an income sufficient to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment – including bus drivers, computer operators,  construction laborers, EMTs, food service workers, machinists, mental health counselors, nursing aides, pre-school teachers, police and fire dispatchers, retail salespersons, reporters, secretaries and tellers.

 The report provides a snapshot of rental housing affordability across the country.  The Connecticut release of “Out of Reach” breaks down rental housing costs by each of the state’s metropolitan areas.  Rental figures are determined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for apartments of moderate quality in each area.