Rhode Islanders Need to Earn $33.95/Hour to Afford Housing, New Report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition Says
Out of Reach report underscores the significant disparity that exists between actual wages and the wages people need to earn to afford their rents nationwide
WARWICK, RI – RealEstateRama – A full-time worker in Rhode Island must earn $33.95 per hour — or $70,617 annually — to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment at today’s Fair Market Rent (FMR), up from $31.71 per hour in 2025. This is Rhode Island’s “2026 Housing Wage” according to Out of Reach, a report published jointly today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and the Housing Network of Rhode Island.
Released annually, Out of Reach underscores the significant disparity that exists between actual wages and the wages people need to earn to afford their rents nationwide, reflecting the broader trend of rising income inequality across the U.S. The report’s “Housing Wage” is an estimate of the hourly wage full-time workers must earn to afford a rental home at FMR without spending more than 30% of their incomes.
In Rhode Island, the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,765. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $5,885 monthly or $70,617 annually.
This level of income translates into an hourly Housing Wage of $33.95. The average R.I. renter earns only $19.24 per hour. Minimum wage is just $16 an hour.
Out of Reach 2026 underscores the significant need for subsidies to assist the lowest-income renters. Despite this need, federal resources for affordable housing remain insufficient. Currently, only one in four eligible households receives federal housing assistance due to chronic underfunding, largely a result of housing assistance programs competing for limited discretionary federal funding.
“With housing costs so much higher than what many people can afford, an increasing number of renters are forced to spend more of their incomes and make difficult tradeoffs to keep a roof over their heads. As federal resources still fall short, we will continue to advocate for resources including a state-funded rental subsidy to provide project-based rental assistance aligned to tenants’ income, helping reduce reliance on emergency shelters, improving housing stability, and complementing existing federal homeless assistance resources,” said Melina Lodge, executive director of the Housing Network of Rhode Island. “Sustained, long-term investments in affordable housing programs, both locally and federally, are essential to ensure that the lowest-income renters can access and maintain safe, stable homes.”
“The 2025 Housing Fact Book states that of the more than 32,000 lowest income renter households in Rhode Island, 54 percent of them are severely cost burdened, meaning they are spending more than half of their income on housing,” said Brenda Clement, Executive Director of HousingWorks RI at RWU. “With the gap between wages and the cost of housing continuing to widen, the amount of Rhode Islanders struggling to afford a safe place to call home will only increase. We must do more to bridge this gap and ensure safe, affordable, and secure housing doesn’t remain out of reach for Ocean State residents.”
Rhode Island is the 13th most expensive state in the country, based on its two-bedroom housing wage, behind Massachusetts (3rd), New Hampshire (8th), and Connecticut (9th), but ahead of Vermont (18th) and Maine (19th). While R.I. may not be the most unaffordable in the region, Rhode Island’s comparatively lower housing costs could attract higher wage earners from other states, driving up demand and contributing to rising housing costs.
According to the report, Rhode Islanders would have to work 85 hours a week at minimum wage to afford a two-bedroom apartment at FMR (which would require 2.1 full-time jobs); or 68 hours per week for a one-bedroom (requiring 1.7 full-time jobs).
“To meaningfully address the affordable housing crisis, the federal government must adequately fund housing programs in a way that would expand rental assistance and both preserve and increase the supply of deeply affordable homes for those with the lowest incomes,” said NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis. “Out of Reach 2026 shows why millions of low-income renters are struggling to afford their homes. The president’s recent FY27 budget request would drastically underfund HUD programs, worsening the affordable housing crisis and threatening the housing stability of families struggling to keep roofs over their heads. We have the resources to invest in expanding housing solutions that provide stable homes for the lowest-income people in our country. We just need the political will to do so.”
For additional information, and to download the report, visit: http://www.nlihc.org/oor
Press Release_ NLIHC publishes Out of Reach 2026MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Dotzenrod, Communications Manager, Housing Network of Rhode Island
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National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) educates, organizes and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone. Our goals are to preserve existing federally assisted homes and housing resources, expand the supply of low income housing, and establish housing stability as the primary purpose of federal low income housing policy.
The Housing Network of Rhode Island (HNRI) works to increase and preserve the supply of high-quality affordable homes across Rhode Island through coalition building, increasing public support, and policy advocacy. Our vision is that all Rhode Islanders live in safe, healthy, and affordable homes in thriving communities.
HousingWorks RI (HWRI) at Roger Williams University is a research and policy organization focused on housing affordability indicators and their relation to the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), in the Ocean State.
Contact
Nicole Dotzenrod, at
