More and more middle-income Americans are struggling to make rent
A new Urban Institute report reveals that 20% of Americans struggled to pay rent in 2025, with middle-income earners experiencing the sharpest increase in financial distress. This trend suggests that economic pressures previously associated with lower-income households are now significantly impacting the middle class.
Why it matters
The erosion of financial stability among middle-income Americans signals a broader shift in the national economy and potential long-term social instability.
Middle-income renters are struggling. Alex Potemkin/Getty Images Middle-income renters are struggling to pay rent on time, if at all. A fifth of Americans reported having trouble paying rent in 2025, a new Urban Institute report finds. Rent troubles rose the most for middle-income Americans, from around 14.3% in 2024 to 21.6% in 2025. When the rent was due in 2025, a fifth of Americans weren't able to pay on time. According to a new report from the Urban Institute, 20% of surveyed Americans aged 18 to 64 said that, at some point in 2025, they couldn't pay their full rent on time. That's the highest share of rent troubles recorded since the Urban Institute's Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey began asking this question in 2019, and a marked increase from 2024.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in