Retail workers would need to earn double to afford the typical Philly apartment
The typical U.S. retail worker would have to work 83 hours per week to afford the median-priced apartment on their own, according to Redfin.
Typical Philadelphia-area retail workers would need to make more than twice their annual wages to afford the region’s median-priced apartment, according to Redfin.
Retail workers in the region defined as Philadelphia and Delaware County made a median of $35,006 in 2024. But to comfortably afford the median monthly rent for an apartment in the area in October — $1,783 — they would need to make a median of $71,331, according to a report Redfin published last month.
In all 40 of the major areas Redfin analyzed, typical retail workers make less money than they need to afford the median rent for an apartment.
“As the cost of living has increased, so have the sacrifices renters must make to afford a place to live,” Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Since most retail workers don’t earn enough to afford the typical apartment, many are opting to share rent with a family member or friend, move far away from their job, or live in a very small space.”
» READ MORE: More Philly renters are ‘scraping by’ each month, saddled by low incomes and higher costs
A typical U.S. retail worker would have to work 83 hours per week to afford the typical apartment alone.
Renters struggling
Rents are considered affordable if they are no more than 30% of a renter’s income. A growing number of Philadelphia renters are spending more than 33% of their income and struggling to pay rent, according to Census Bureau data.
In a nationwide survey in May of about 1,600 renters, almost one in four said they regularly or greatly struggle to afford housing costs, Redfin found. Renters said they were dining out less, taking fewer vacations, and borrowing money from family and friends to pay their rent.
In Redfin’s November report, even retail workers with wages in the top 25% earn 44% less than they need to afford the median-priced apartment.
Data on rent affordability for retail workers in Philadelphia and Delaware County closely mirror national trends. The typical U.S. retail worker made $34,436 in 2024 but would need to make $71,172 to afford the typical apartment, priced at $1,779 in October.
Rents have gotten slightly more affordable for the typical retail worker in the last few years. Prices aren’t rising as much because of all the apartments that have been built in recent years.
Bigger gaps in New York
Redfin analyzed wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and retail workers fell into three categories: cashiers, retail salespersons, and first-line retail supervisors.
The New York region had the biggest gap between what retail workers make and what they need to make to afford an apartment. Workers’ median annual wage was $39,185 in 2024. Workers would need to make $134,896 — almost 3½ times as much. The median apartment rent in October was $3,372.
The affordability gap for retail workers was smallest in Cleveland’s metro area — $31,982 vs. $47,654.