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Housing costs push rentals out of reach
by Stephen Ohlemacher
Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The cost of rental housing has increased faster than wages, making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to afford even modest apartments, an advocacy group said Tuesday.

"The picture is similar to past years, but it's getting worse," said Danilo Pelletiere, research director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The report says families should spend no more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing and utilities, a standard recognized by many housing experts. Under that standard, the coalition said it could not find a single county in the United States where a full-time worker making minimum wage could afford a one-bedroom apartment.

Hawaii is the state with the most expensive rental costs, followed by California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. California also had eight of the 10 most expensive counties for rental housing, led by Marin County, near San Francisco.

West Virginia had the most affordable rents, followed by Arkansas, North Dakota, Alabama and Mississippi.

In Vermont
Vermont ranks 30th in rental housing affordability among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition's "Out of Reach" 2005 report. In Vermont:

Fair-market rent per month for a two-bedroom unit: $723
Hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom unit: $13.90
Annual income needed to afford a two-bedroom unit: $28,903
Number of full-time, minimum wage jobs needed to afford a two-bedroom unit: 2