Typical Phoenix-area apartment not affordable for average minimum-wage worker

By Brent Ruffner
Mail | X: @AzNewsmedia

Typical Phoenix-area apartments are not affordable for the average minimum-wage worker, according to a recent Redfin study.

Minimum-wage workers in Arizona would have to work 77 hours per week to afford a median monthly rent price of $1,430, according to the 2025 study.

The figures are based on the Arizona minimum wage of $14.35 per hour in 2024, according to the Redfin website.

In the U.S., it “would take the average minimum-wage earner 32 hours of work per week just to cover the cost of rent alone, with no money left over for other” expenses if that worker were renting the median-priced U.S. apartment, the website stated.

In the Phoenix area, builders delivered about 24,000 multifamily units, which outpaced demand by about 2,000 units total, according to Thomas Brophy, a housing analyst at dataphaz in Phoenix.

Valley builders are likely to build more multifamily units because demand is high, Brophy said.

Now, apartment complexes are offering concessions of a couple months of free rent to help get available units filled, he said.

There are deals to be had for apartment leases in areas such as Goodyear and Buckeye, according to Brophy.

“You’ll see pockets where you’ll get a good deal and other pockets where you won’t,” the housing analyst said.

But potential renters should act now rather than waiting as he expects concessions and other deals on apartments to go away by January 2026.

By then, the Valley will “really start” seeing less inventory in regards to apartments, Brophy said.

The median Arizona apartment monthly rent of $1,430 is below Idaho — at $1,550— and Nevada at $1,500 per month and more expensive than Texas at $1,347 and Ohio at 1,359 per month, according to the Redfin website.

Brent Ruffner
Lead News Reporter | Phoenix

BRuffner@iniusa.org

Meet Brent

Brent Ruffner joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2021 where he writes about developments at TSMC and Maricopa County issues, including election topics.

He's written about stories that range from accusations that a Mesa monkey breeding facility is unsafe to what to do if you encounter a rattlesnake in the desert.

Community:  He is a supporter of the American Cancer Society.

 Education: Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, May 2007.

Random Fact: He met former San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays at a Phoenix Firebird game after winning a contest for an autographed baseball. 

Hobbies: Hiking in the woods and collecting sports memorabilia.