TEXAS (KXAN) — Nearly four out of every five rentals in Houston are within price ranges for teachers, making it one of the most affordable communities for those industry workers in the country, according to an August analysis from Rent.com.
Rent.com research reported 78.8% of rentals in Houston are within price ranges affordable for teachers, marking a slight increase from 76.3% of rentals deemed affordable in 2023. However, 2024 figures are still a marked decrease from 2019’s rate, which was 5% higher than this year’s trend.
Houston stands in stark contrast to national rental figures, where just shy of 48% of rentals in the country are considered affordable for teachers. Despite the much lower national figure compared to Houston’s metrics, national trends are moving in the right direction, considering only 40.7% of rentals were teacher-friendly last year.
However, back in 2019, 58% of rentals in the country were affordable for teachers. Rent.com’s analysis noted both Houston’s and national metrics comparing 2019 to 2024 highlight the pandemic’s impact on affordability and rental prices increasing at a higher rate than people’s wages.
Why is Houston so much more rent-friendly for teachers? Rent.com’s report found the median teacher wage in Houston landed above $65,000 — a 5% bump from 2023, but still lower than a national median of $72,000.
Even with that slightly lower median teacher salary, Houston’s comparatively lower rental prices helped even out the disparity, per Rent.com’s research.
When looking at teachers’ rent in Houston, the median price point is reported at $1,299. That figure has risen nearly 10% since 2023, but is still substantially lower than the nationwide median rent rate of $1,647, per Rent.com’s analysis.
Houston’s median teacher pay largely surpasses most other Texas metros’ starting salaries. At Houston ISD, Rent.com found the average starting salary for a teacher is $64,000 for the 2024-25 school year; when looking at the statewide data, the average starting salary is $55,616.
Rent.com also found the average median wage for Houston teachers has risen more than $6,000 since 2019, which has allowed many to curtail price pinches caused by rising rental rates.
Here’s a look at the Top 10 metros in the country noted for their rental affordability for teachers:
- Portland, Oregon: 91.3% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 83.9% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Atlanta, Georgia: 82.0% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Jacksonville, Florida: 80.6% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Houston, Texas: 78.8% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Riverside, California: 78.4% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Seattle, Washington: 77.5% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Cincinnati, Ohio: 74.2% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Detroit, Michigan: 69.9% of rental shares affordable for teachers
- Sacramento, California: 67.2% of rental shares affordable for teachers
More details on the analysis are available online.