Basic rental prices rise further out of reach as minimum wage stagnates

In no city or county can a minimum wage worker afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, according to the report, which is released annually. HUD defines affordability as spending no more than 30 percent of gross household income on housing. About half of renters spend that much or more on their apartments, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, a situation that has led to HUD declaring a rental “crisis.”