This story was originally produced by the New Hampshire Bulletin, an independent local newsroom that allows NHPR and other outlets to republish its reporting.
New Hampshire is the 12th most expensive state to rent housing and Granite Staters must make about $27 an hour to comfortably afford a market-rate one-bedroom apartment, according to a national housing organization.
The organization, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, produced a report last week called “Out of Reach” that compares the median prices of rent to the income levels required to pay that rent in each state. The analysis follows widely accepted guidance that households should not spend more than 30% of their income on rent.
In New Hampshire, fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment is now $1,401 per month, the report notes. That requires about $56,026 per year to afford that rent, above the median income for one person in New Hampshire of $46,197. Working 40 hours a week would require one person to make about $27 per hour, and wage data indicates that people in many industries make less than that, the report continues. Fast-food workers make a median hourly wage of $14.84, home health aides make $17.91, and retail salespeople make $17.34.
The data suggests that rent is out of reach for many unless they share apartments, work more than 40 hours a week, or spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
The data also suggests that many households make less than they need to comfortably afford rent. In New Hampshire, 71,239 renting households make below 50% of the area median income, which equates to 45% of all renters. And at 50% area median income or below, those households can comfortably afford two-bedroom homes of up to $1,616 per month, according to the coalition.
The fair market rental rate for two-bedroom homes: $1,824 per month.
“This year’s Out of Reach report shows that, despite economic gains for some, low-income renters continue to face impossible choices between paying rent and meeting basic needs,” said Renee Willis, the coalition’s president and CEO, in a statement. In her statement, Willis denounced recent moves by the Trump administration to cut back Section 8 housing assistance, and called for more funding for low-income renters.
This year, Republicans and Democrats in New Hampshire passed a number of bills intended to reduce zoning regulations and allow for more housing development to increase housing supply and lower rents, and Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed many of those laws this month. But some housing advocates have criticized the lack of state funding to support affordable housing initiatives they say are also important to turn the tide.
“Housing Action NH is working hard to ensure every Granite Stater has a place to call home, but the Out of Reach report illustrates the challenge we have ahead of us and the negative impact our housing crisis has on our state’s workforce and economy,” said Nick Taylor, the director of Housing Action NH, an advocacy group. “… While the state Legislature continues to make progress, there is much more to be done, and we must protect the critical HUD programs currently under attack.”
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