A growing number of renters are spending too much of their incomes on rent, according to the latest research from Zumper.
In its 2025 State of Renting Report, Zumper reported that 59% of renter respondents said that they are rent-burdened, spending more than 30% of their incomes on rent each month.
Renters surveyed by Zumper said that they would consider it reasonable to spend 28% of their income on rent. Unfortunately, renters in the survey said that they are spending 40% of their incomes on rent on average.
Renters don’t expect their financial situations to improve, either. According to the survey, 82% of renters say they lack confidence in the U.S. economy and 66% said that they believe the United States is in a recession.
Another interesting finding? The days of most renters working from home appear to be over. Only 12% of renters said they now work fully remote, down from about 25% in 2021 through 2023. As the return-to-the-office movement gains strength, more renters are moving back toward major employment hubs. The top-five destinations renters relocated to in 2025 were Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco and Charlotte, Zumper reported.
A total of 35% of renter respondents told Zumper that they do not believe that the American Dream includes owning a home. That is up from 27% in 2021. What’s behind this trend? High housing prices, high mortgage interest rates and lifestyle preferences.
When it comes to finding apartment units, more renters are turning to AI. Zumper found that nearly 10% of renters said that they used tools like ChatGPT to help find a new apartment unit. That figure rose to as high as 15% in major coastal cities. Apartment hunters used AI for everything from tour booking to question-and-answer support, Zumper said.
