Do You Live in the Rent Belt? Check Our New Midterms Index
Summary
Newsweek’s Rent Belt Index compares rent and utility costs with typical worker earnings across 436 U.S. House districts, including Washington, D.C.’s delegate district. The article links high renter costs to upcoming congressional races, noting that several Democratic socialist and progressive candidates have won primaries in heavily renter districts, while other contests remain competitive.Key Facts
- California’s 46th Congressional District, anchored by Santa Ana, has the country’s highest index score; a year of median rent and utilities equals 65.5 percent of typical annual worker earnings there.
- The national comparison is 38 percent, and 182 House districts exceed that level.
- In 2024, 22.7 million renter households—49 percent of all renter households—spent more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Bronx and Queens district scores 124.2 on the index, and 72 percent of households there rent.
- In New York’s 7th and 13th districts, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier won Democratic primaries; the districts score 115.2 and 114.5, and renters make up 78 percent and 87 percent of households, respectively.
- Aisha Wahab won an August special election in California’s 14th District and is set to face Melissa Hernandez again in November.
- In California’s 7th District, Mai Vang is challenging Representative Doris Matsui; the district scores 115.5 on the index.
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