These Are The Most Affordable ZIP Codes For Renters In America

The cost of renting is anything but uniform – shaped by geography, neighborhood trends, and even the quirks of a few city blocks. What’s affordable in one part of town might be out of reach just a short walk away.

This map via Visual Capitalist, created by NeoMam Studios for CashNetUSA, visualizes the most affordable ZIP codes to rent across America.

NeoMam Studios compared the average household incomes and annual rent costs in each ZIP code using U.S. Census data and Zillow’s Observed Rent Index (ZORI). ZIP codes were ranked by affordability, the most affordable being the ZIP codes with the lowest rental costs as a percentage of local incomes.

Figures below 30% of gross income were considered as the standard affordable rent outlay defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Which ZIP Codes Are the Most Affordable?

Below, we show each state’s most affordable ZIP code, the ZIP code’s location, and its average annual rent (from ZORI) as a share of local median household income.

State
ZIP Code
Location
Annual Rent as % of Local Median Household Income
Avg. Rent Cost (ZORI, $)
Median Household Income ($)
Kansas
66224
Leawood
10.57%
$1,850.00
$143,093
Michigan
48324
West Bloomfield
11.50%
$3,069.76
$203,000
Texas
78248
San Antonio
12.29%
$2,231.67
$138,220
Pennsylvania
15228
Pittsburgh
12.57%
$1,960.28
$128,333
Iowa
50323
Urbandale
12.77%
$1,734.63
$145,774
South Dakota
57005
Brandon
13.51%
$2,648.78
$185,093
Ohio
43035
Lewis Center
13.71%
$2,048.33
$132,573
Illinois
60304
Oak Park
13.92%
$1,259.17
$122,986
North Dakota
58554
Mandan
14.23%
$1,021.94
$76,612
Indiana
46077
Zionsville
14.28%
$1,255.50
$131,002
Minnesota
55906
Rochester
14.57%
$1,561.98
$125,060
Missouri
63141
Creve Coeur
14.93%
$2,104.16
$152,326
Tennessee
38024
Dyersburg
14.95%
$1,475.98
$127,195
Alabama
35213
Mountain Brook
14.99%
$1,570.11
$137,408
Arkansas
72223
Little Rock
15.19%
$1,217.72
$116,278
Arizona
85253
Paradise Valley
15.27%
$969.22
$71,601
Nebraska
68130
Omaha
15.29%
$1,540.35
$109,405
Louisiana
70605
Lake Charles
15.38%
$1,043.45
$81,404
New York
11731
East Northport
15.51%
$2,025.78
$138,261
Wyoming
82716
Gillette
16.01%
$1,816.65
$111,410
Wisconsin
54956
Neenah
16.24%
$2,033.56
$159,846
Georgia
30005
Alpharetta
16.58%
$1,929.44
$98,459
Kentucky
40059
Prospect
16.72%
$2,716.04
$170,000
North Carolina
27613
Raleigh
16.90%
$1,940.98
$83,946
New Jersey
7090
Westfield
17.17%
$1,387.50
$55,402
Mississippi
38801
Tupelo
17.25%
$2,040.67
$137,097
Oklahoma
73142
Oklahoma City
17.28%
$1,750.91
$116,756
Maryland
21043
Ellicott City
17.58%
$1,397.75
$112,328
West Virginia
26062
Weirton
17.80%
$2,563.01
$163,333
Virginia
23113
Midlothian
17.86%
$2,041.67
$103,934
South Carolina
29708
Fort Mill
18.00%
$623.89
$50,064
California
94062
Emerald Lake Hills
18.15%
$916.67
$59,482
Florida
33556
Odessa
18.33%
$1,935.56
$124,449
Utah
84025
Farmington
18.49%
$2,243.88
$161,079
Montana
59501
Havre
18.49%
$1,489.03
$116,849
Connecticut
6410
Cheshire
18.54%
$810.56
$56,393
Oregon
97221
Portland
18.66%
$1,425.00
$55,511
Colorado
80108
Castle Pines
18.83%
$1,170.83
$96,403
Washington
98040
Mercer Island
19.17%
$1,204.58
$83,648
Massachusetts
1720
Acton
19.37%
$2,050.00
$117,408
Nevada
89511
Reno
19.57%
$1,950.00
$100,751
Idaho
83221
Blackfoot
19.95%
$1,234.43
$97,530
New Mexico
87544
Los Alamos
20.95%
$1,662.43
$107,901
Alaska
99517
Anchorage
22.12%
$1,062.50
$63,897
New Hampshire
3045
Goffstown
23.23%
$1,113.33
$98,902
Delaware
19810
Wilmington
23.52%
$1,522.56
$172,829
Rhode Island
2865
Lincoln
23.57%
$791.67
$53,360
Hawaii
96822
Honolulu
27.75%
$1,584.86
$85,964
Maine
4210
Auburn
30.05%
$1,731.25
$162,705
Vermont
5701
Rutland
30.80%
$917.50
$77,356

The average rent in Leawood 66224, Kansas, costs 10.57% of the local average income—the most affordable rent level of any U.S. ZIP code.

The 66224 ZIP code is right at the border of Kansas and Missouri, and just a couple of ZIP codes south of Leawood 66211, home to Kansas’ priciest residential real estate.

Midland, Texas, has the highest proportion of affordable housing against local incomes, with 97.5% of rentals available below 30% of the local average income.

Several ZIP codes within major metropolitan areas ranked as the most affordable in their states, including Portland (97221) in Oregon and Pittsburgh (15228) in Pennsylvania.

Over on the West Coast, Los Angeles doesn’t have a single ZIP code where the average home is affordable to rent, according to the 30% rule.

To learn more about housing affordability in the U.S., check out this graphic that visualizes median house prices in the U.S.