Just checked some housing data and the numbers are honestly pretty rough. Turns out the gap between what people actually earn and what they need to afford rent for a 2 bedroom apartment has gotten way worse over the past couple decades. We're talking 17.9% rent increases since 2001 while wages barely moved 3.2%. That's a massive mismatch.

What really stood out though is how brutal it is in some states. California's asking for $42+ an hour just to comfortably rent a 2 bedroom apartment, but the average renter's only making around $34. Same story in New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts - all these places where rent for a 2 bedroom apartment has basically become out of reach for normal workers.

On the flip side, there are maybe a dozen states where it's actually somewhat doable if you're making around $17-19 an hour. Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky - the math works better there. But even then, it's tight.

The wild part? Only 13 states in the entire country have rent for a 2 bedroom apartment that's actually affordable for lower-income workers. The rest of the country? You're basically priced out unless you're making serious money. Pretty messed up situation for renters right now.