In Mass., how many hours do you have to work to pay the rent?

You need to work 53.4 hours per month on average in Massachusetts to pay your rent in 2024, according to a report from Self Financial, a personal finance site.

For the rest of New England, times vary, but not drastically:

• In New Hampshire, you need to work 53.1 hours per month to cover the median monthly rent of $1,861.
• In Connecticut, you need to work 48.5 hours per month to cover the median monthly rent of $1,813.
• In Rhode Island, you need to work 47.2 hours per month to cover the median monthly rent of $1,672.
• In Vermont, you need to work 45.5 hours per month to cover the median monthly rent of $1,521.
• In Maine, you need to work 44.1 hours per month to cover the median monthly rent of $1,377.

Nationally, Americans have to work slightly fewer hours (50) to cover housing costs. The report takes into account an average hourly rate of $34.59 and an average rent of $1,733. Average hourly earnings for each state were taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and rental costs, which come from the Census Bureau, were inflated to 2024 prices using the Consumer Price Index, according to the methodology.

“As a result of wages not keeping up with the continued rise in the cost of rent in the United States, the number of work hours needed to cover rent increased by 19% to 50 hours in 2024, up from 42 hours in 2023,” according to the report. “This shows a 66.6% increase in hours needed to pay rent on average wages since 2004.”

Nationally, Hawaii tops the list with an average rent of $2,417 and residents required to work 66.2 hours based on an average hourly wage of $36.53. “This serious disparity highlights the rent-to-wage problem, which makes paradise islands less attractive to those who cannot afford them,” the report said. “Hawaii is not alone in experiencing sharp increases in rent costs and low hourly earnings: places like Nevada, California, and Florida all require more than 63 hours to cover rent costs.”

On the other end of the scale, North Dakota residents only need to work 34 hours per month to cover a median cost of $1,151.

Here is an overview of the situation in all American states:

Credit: Self-financing

However, based on the federal minimum wage of $7.25, the situation is dire. It takes 239 hours of work to pay the median monthly cost of an apartment this year, according to the report. “This is compared to 140 hours in 2004, an increase of 70.7 percent over that 20-year period.”