Rent increases, spurred by limited housing and construction, are forcing people to move much more often in some states and cities.
Around 21% of U.S. renters say they were forced to move in 2024 because their landlord increased their rent in the last six months, according to a survey by the U.S. Census Bureau conducted between August 20 and Sept. 16.
Nineteen states and 10 major metropolitan areas recorded moves above the national average, a ConsumerAffairs analysis finds.
Rent increases usually come down to how many housing units are available and under construction: Fewer homes and apartments means less competition and landlords can charge higher rent.
Utah, which has seen rents skyrocket in recent years and has suffered from poor construction and housing availability, topped the list with more than 32% of renters saying the cost of rent forced them move to a cheaper place in the last six months.
Two states came close to Utah: Florida (31%) and North Carolina (30%).
Florida has had rapidly rising rent costs because of heightened demand after an influx of people moved into the state, which also led investors to convert properties into rentals and charge high prices, The Florida Times-Union reports.
In North Carolina, rental vacancies have been scarce and have driven up costs, but tax credits and other financing will help build $1.1 billion worth of affordable housing in 2024, NC Newsline reports.
The state with the lowest share of renters saying they had to move because of a rent increase was South Carolina (7.6%), followed by Louisiana (8.3%) and Montana (9.7%).
Rising costs have cooled in South Carolina since 2023, which may partly explain why fewer people said they were forced to move.
North Carolina's capital Raleigh was also the most competitive rental market in the Southeast U.S. in 2023, based on how long apartments were vacant, number of renters bidding and other factors, according to RentCafe.
But 10 metropolitan areas among 15 of the U.S.'s biggest metro areas were above the national average of renters saying they were forced to move.
The city with the highest percentage of renters saying a rent increase made them move was Miami at 36%, followed by Detroit (31%) and Los Angeles (29%).
Miami is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and like the rest of Florida is struggling to balance its growing population with enough housing.
Los Angeles, like other major cities in recent years, has struggled with a housing shortage that has made rents unaffordable.
But there are some signs of relief for the residents of Los Angeles: The average rent for a one bedroom apartment in the city fell 3% to $1,868 in May from a year prior, which was a decline four times greater than the national average and represents the biggest drop in a California major city, Crosstown reports.
A big reason for the recent drop in Los Angeles is that construction projects, delayed during the pandemic, are revving up and injecting an influx of housing.
On the other hand, New York, which is known for having rent control, had the lowest share of renters saying price increases forced them to move at 14%, followed by Washington D.C. (19%) and San Francisco (19%).
Both Washington D.C. and San Francisco are cities with higher average salaries compared to the other metropolitan areas, suggesting many renters can afford rising prices.
Correction (10/16/2024): The percentages of how many people were forced to move because of rent increases were erroneously calculated due to including nonrenters. This article has been updated with the correct percentages and ranking.