While everyone knows that income inequality is on the rise in America, a little-known fact is that income equality peaked in ... wait for it ... 1967. That's right; for an entire generation-and-a-half, it's been getting progressively harder and harder to get on the property ladder, save for retirement or simply pay the bills. That means more and more people are stuck renting, whether or not they'd like to be.
Knowing where you can get the most bang for your rental buck is thus all the more important. Of course, there are other factors - some states have lower income taxes, but they generally also have really high property taxes or really crappy services, meaning you'll spend more than the difference one way or another. Some states have low rent because they have fewer opportunities to get a stable job. It's no use living somewhere super cheap if there's no proper broadband connection for remote workers and the nearest physical job is 100 miles up the road. Some states or cities have high rent but high opportunity - for example, to be in the 1% by income in Connecticut requires triple what you need to belong to the same bracket in Idaho.
Obviously, there's huge variance within states, but it's useful to have a sense of averages. We'll start by looking at the national picture and then move into different regions. It's time to find out which states are actually the most expensive when it comes to rent. Let's get started!
