Pressure matrix
Nine cells preserve a county’s rent-minus-wage third and renter-burden third. The color is a two-axis category, not a recommendation score.
National rent pressure map
Where rent change is outrunning local wages.
Explore the same 1,013 county records through four direct lenses: a two-axis pressure matrix, rent versus workplace wages, renter cost burden and total housing vacancy. The map reveals pressure signals; it does not turn them into a hidden score.
- Complete direct counties
- 1,013 Zillow + BLS + ACS
- Rent change ahead
- 441 positive rent−wage gap
- Rent up, wages down
- 18 strict opposite direction
- Runtime data calls
- 0 static payloads at build
Four lenses, one county set
Change the lens without changing the evidence base.
Every featured layer covers the exact same complete county set. Hover for joined context; use the ranked list for keyboard access and a direct path to each county analysis.
Featured direct-county layers
1,013 complete countiesChoose the pressure signal
Loading the national layer…
Read the signal correctly
The gap is a comparison, not an affordability verdict.
Median rent change and average workplace wage change describe different populations. That definition mismatch is useful context—and a reason to inspect burden and vacancy beside the gap.
Rent − wage gap
A positive value means Zillow rent change exceeded QCEW average weekly wage change over their stated periods. It does not measure a household budget.
Renter burden
ACS estimates the share of renter households with computed gross rent at or above 30% of household income. It adds household context, but uses a five-year survey.
Total vacancy
ACS vacant housing includes seasonal and for-sale units. Treat it as housing-stock context, never as a rental vacancy or apartment availability rate.
Static evidence view
Both ends of the rent−wage distribution.
This server-rendered table preserves the central evidence when scripts, pointer input or the visual geography are unavailable.
Largest positive gaps
| County | Gap | Rent | Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor County, TX | +37.5% | +41.7% | +4.3% |
| Stephenson County, IL | +34.9% | +36.9% | +2.0% |
| Crook County, OR | +26.4% | +1.3% | -25.1% |
| Indiana County, PA | +21.5% | +25.1% | +3.6% |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | +16.3% | +20.1% | +3.8% |
| Winona County, MN | +15.7% | +18.6% | +2.9% |
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | +15.4% | +17.6% | +2.2% |
| Ashland County, OH | +13.9% | +17.1% | +3.2% |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | +13.5% | +16.8% | +3.2% |
| Muskogee County, OK | +13.4% | +16.1% | +2.7% |
Wages furthest ahead
| County | Gap | Rent | Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell County, VA | -27.4% | +3.3% | +30.7% |
| Val Verde County, TX | -12.7% | -7.4% | +5.3% |
| Carver County, MN | -10.4% | +3.0% | +13.4% |
| Caldwell County, TX | -10.3% | -2.3% | +7.9% |
| Clay County, FL | -10.3% | +1.8% | +12.1% |
| Henderson County, TX | -9.5% | -2.3% | +7.3% |
| St. Clair County, AL | -9.4% | +2.0% | +11.4% |
| Grayson County, TX | -9.2% | -5.0% | +4.2% |
| Benton County, AR | -9.1% | +1.9% | +11.0% |
| Maury County, TN | -8.7% | -1.1% | +7.6% |
Source ledger
Three releases, named and dated.
Coverage requires all three inputs. A grey county stays missing instead of inheriting a metro value or receiving an estimate. Last source update: 2026-08-02.
- BLS QCEW — county employment and wagesannual county employment and wages 2021-2025; latest 2025 vs 2024Pulled 2026-08-02Open publisher
- Census ACS 5-year — county housing value, tenure and stockACS 2024 5-yearPulled 2026-07-30Open publisher
- Zillow ZHVI and ZORI — county values and rentscounty ZHVI/ZORI 2026-06Pulled 2026-07-26Open publisher