Percent of income paid for rent by Virginia's top workforce

CNS looked at percent of income the top 10 occupations pay annually for rent in Virginia. Only three of the occupations pay under 30%. Several occupations put over 60% of their income into rent, which leaves little funding for other essential needs. Occupations are in order of employment numbers.

A long established government standard to estimate housing affordability is the 30% rule. Rent costs are higher than gross median rent estimates in some localities.
Chart: Chloe Hawkins, VCU Capital News Service Source: BLS Virginia occupation and wage stats. Median rent costs from U.S. Census Bureau 5-year estimates. Get the data Embed