Posted: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 By David Levinsky

Burlington County is one of the more affordable places in New Jersey to rent a two-bedroom apartment, but county renters still pay among the highest monthly rents in the nation, according to a report by a low-income housing advocacy group.

The report, titled “Out of Reach 2011” by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, found that the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the county last year was $1,077 a month, about $200 less than the statewide average, but still about $371 more than the $706 considered affordable for the person earning the average renter wage of $13.58 an hour.

The report estimated that a renter in Burlington County had to make at least $20.71 an hour in 2010 to afford the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment, or $43,080 a year. A minimum-wage earner would have to work at least 114 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom unit, according to the report.

About 21 percent of the county’s households are renters.

The fair market rent for a one-bedroom residence in the county was $900, and $1,317 for a three-bedroom unit.

Statewide, the average rent for a two-bedroom unit was $1,276, $1,092 for one bedroom and $1,576 for three bedrooms. 

The counties with the highest rents were Bergen and Passaic, with fair market rents of $1,494 for a two-bedroom apartment. The lowest was $949 for an apartment in Cape May County.

New Jersey’s rents were ranked the fifth most expensive in the United States, behind Hawaii ($1,616 monthly rent for a two-bedroom unit); Washington, D.C. ($1,461); California ($1,361) and Maryland ($1,287).

Puerto Rico was the most affordable, with an average monthly rent of $518 for a two-bedroom apartment. Arkansas was the next cheapest, at $617.
In Pennsylvania, the average fair market rent was $837 for a two-bedroom apartment; Delaware was $974.

The report also found that rents in Burlington County increased about 45 percent over the last 10 years. The rent for a two-bedroom unit in the county in 2000 was about $740.

New Jersey affordable housing advocates said the data demonstrate the unmet need for more low- and moderate-income housing.

“How can we expect New Jersey’s economy to bounce back when its workforce can’t afford to live here?” said Diane Sterner, executive director for the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. “In order to move our economy forward, we need to create homes and jobs in environmentally appropriate places with access to transit.”

Earlier this year, the New Jersey Assembly and Senate passed legislation to reform the state’s Fair Housing Act to eliminate the Council on Affordable Housing Act and a 2.5 percent commercial development fee. The measure was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie, who said it did not go far enough in reforming how affordable housing quotas should be set. Revised legislation is still being written.

Also, the state Supreme Court is expected to take up the issue after municipalities appealed an appellate division decision invalidating recent COAH regulations.

David Levinsky can be reached at 609-871-8154 or [email protected]
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