Struggling to Afford Rent? New Research Shows That Even 6-Figure Earners Are Falling Behind.

When you think of a middle-income household, you might presume that its members can comfortably afford to pay rent each month. 

After all, a new report from the Urban Institute defined middle-income as adults making between $31,300 and $62,600 for a single-person household or between $53,300 and $106,600 for a family of three — enough to cover the average rent payment of $1,771 for an apartment in the U.S. 

However, middle-income renters have recently experienced the highest increase in financial hardship compared to other groups, per the report. Close to 22% of these renters said they were unable to afford the full amount of rent when it was due at least once last year. That’s a notable increase from 2024, when only about 14% reported not being able to pay their rent at least once. 

“This increase among middle-income renters is a big and important shift that reflects overall challenges with affordability in the country,” Samantha Batko, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and co-author of the report, recently told NPR. Despite some middle-income earners making over six-figure salaries, they are increasingly unable to afford rent. 

The report found that households from all income levels are facing affordability challenges. The research suggests that rent stress is no longer limited to the lowest-income households. More middle-income Americans are falling behind on monthly rent payments, putting them at greater risk of eviction.

Urban Institute researchers attributed the growing strain to a broader rise in household expenses. The cost of basics is continuing to rise and eat into renter budgets. A little more than 20% of renters also said they had trouble covering utility bills for gas, heating oil or electricity in 2025. 

This trend only affects renters

The research showed that homeowners have largely maintained their ability to keep up with mortgage payments over the past seven years. Meanwhile, renters have been falling behind on rent payments since 2022. 

In 2025, nearly 28% of lower-income renters said they had missed or been unable to make a housing payment at some point, up from roughly 24% in 2019.

“We have historically observed that low-income renters experience high rates of housing cost burdens and, as a result, are particularly vulnerable to having to make choices between meeting their family’s basic needs or paying rent. And sometimes that results in eviction or homelessness,” Batko told NPR. 

Rent payment problems reached even the highest-income group the researchers examined. About 7% of this group, which made more than $62,600 for a single-person household or more than $106,600 for a family of three, said they had been unable to make a full rent payment at least once in 2025, up 2% from the previous year. 

Batko said that missed, late or partial rent payments mean that households may be directing limited funds towards essentials such as medication or meals, leaving them unable to cover the rent in full. 

“We are seeing a larger segment of the overall population that are faced with these daily and monthly choices,” Batko said.