CALIFORNIA – A new Redfin report found that the “typical retail worker” in the United States earns about $34,436 per year — 52% less than they would need to afford the “typical apartment.”

The problem is especially acute in California’s largest metro areas.

In Riverside, the median income for a retail worker is $37,073, however, the annual income needed to afford an apartment is $89,943 – a 58.8% shortfall.

In other California metros, the Redfin data shows:

• San Jose: retail workers’ typical wages cover just 34.3% of what’s needed for a rental — a 65.7% shortfall. 
• San Diego: the shortfall is about 64.6%. 
• Los Angeles: the gap is similar at 64.4%.

According to the analysis, if a typical retail worker wanted to afford a typical apartment on their own, they would need to work 83 hours per week.

Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said that as the cost of living has increased, so have the sacrifices renters must make to afford a place to live.

“Since most retail workers don’t earn enough to afford the typical apartment, many are opting to share rent with a family member or friend, move far away from their job, or live in a very small space,” said Fairweather.

‘Rents are no longer rising as quickly’

Other major U.S. metros showed similar gaps. New York had the highest shortfall at 71%, where a typical retail worker earns $39,185 but needs $134,896 to afford the typical rent. 

Boston followed with a 65.5% shortfall, and Miami came in at 65.2%.

Cleveland had the lowest shortfall at 32.9%, where a typical retail worker earns $31,982 but needs $47,654 to afford the typical rent.

Fairweather noted that the good news is rents are no longer rising as quickly as they did during the pandemic, so rental affordability has improved slightly in recent years.

The analysis found that this improvement is due to wage growth now outpacing rent increases.

Retail worker wages have been growing at a pace of around 3% year over year, while rents have been increasing closer to 2%.

For the full report, visit https://www.redfin.com/news/retail-worker-rental-affordability-2025/

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