TEXAS (KXAN) — Nearly four out of every five rentals in Houston are within price ranges for teachers, making it one of the most affordable communities for those industry workers in the country, according to an August analysis from Rent.com.
Rent.com research reported 78.8% of rentals in Houston are within price ranges affordable for teachers, marking a slight increase from 76.3% of rentals deemed affordable in 2023. However, 2024 figures are still a marked decrease from 2019’s rate, which was 5% higher than this year’s trend.
Houston stands in stark contrast to national rental figures, where just shy of 48% of rentals in the country are considered affordable for teachers. Despite the much lower national figure compared to Houston’s metrics, national trends are moving in the right direction, considering only 40.7% of rentals were teacher-friendly last year.
However, back in 2019, 58% of rentals in the country were affordable for teachers. Rent.com’s analysis noted both Houston’s and national metrics comparing 2019 to 2024 highlight the pandemic’s impact on affordability and rental prices increasing at a higher rate than people’s wages.