Retail Workers Fall Over 50% Short of Income Needed for Typical U.S. Rent

New Analysis Shows Retail Wages Can’t Keep Pace With Rising Housing Costs

Pressures in the rental market continue to outpace retail workers’ earnings, according to a new Redfin analysis that shows service-sector wages remain far below what is required to afford a typical apartment in the United States.

Redfin reports that retail employees earn a median annual wage of $34,436 , while the income needed to comfortably rent the median U.S. apartment, priced at $1,779 a month , is $71,172 .

That leaves the typical worker earning 51.6% less than what is required under standard affordability guidelines, which define rent as affordable when it consumes no more than 30% of income.

In Los Angeles , where the median apartment rent is $2,676 , retail workers earning about