Only one California city made the list of the top five most rent-burdened cities. The rest all belonged to Florida.

Census data shows 34% of Fresno renters spent more than half of their income on rent in 2023, the fourth-highest rate of cities with more than 200,000 households in the nation, according to news website Axios. Nationally, 25.6% of renters spend more than half their income on housing.

The only cities to beat Fresno? Port St. Lucie, Cape Coral, and Palm Bay, all in Florida. Miami secured the fifth spot behind Fresno.

Fresno’s Housing Starts Couldn’t Keep Up with Rents

Households that spend more than half of their money on income are considered severely rent burdened.

Households are considered rent burdened when they spend more than 30% of income on rent, according to the Census. In Fresno, 46.9% of renters spend at least 35% of income on rent.

Renters only spend on average 25.6% of income on housing across the U.S.

Increasing housing has been a goal of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration. At an August luncheon with Fresno Housing, he said housing security was a “fundamental right,” and that local government’s role in getting homes built is crucial.

In the years since the pandemic, housing creation has been strong, according to city of Fresno data. From 2013 to 2018, the city issued an average of 1,282 housing permits annually, according to reports from the city. Reports from 2019 did not break down the number of rental units.

From 2021 to 2023, that rate increased, averaging 1,877 units yearly. That increase came in large part from apartment construction.

Also in the years following the pandemic, Fresno experienced some the fastest and highest rent increases in the nation.