Aired May 26, 2021
By Melissa Rose Cooper

The gap between income and the cost of rent is widening in New Jersey, where the price to lease an apartment is among the most expensive in the country. More than a third of the state’s residents are renters and according to a new report, affordable housing is out of reach for many of them.

The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey released its 2022 Out of Reach Report. The annual national study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition ranks rental costs for families and individuals around the country. According to the report, working at the state’s minimum wage of $13.32 an hour, a person would have to work 96 hours a week to afford a 2-bedroom rental.