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Greater Boston families with children are more rent-burdened than the overall rental population, according to a new report from Zillow’s economists analyzing census data.

In Boston, 30.2 percent of families with children rent while 56.3 percent were rent-burdened in July, according to Zillow. Rent burden is defined by the listings portal as spending more than 30 percent of household income on housing costs. The Zillow report did not include a market-wide estimate of rent burdens, but Boston Indicators’ 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card pegged that figure at 49 percent.

The median income for a family in Boston was $170,000 last month, while the median annual listed rent for a two-bedroom unit in the metro was $38,340 and the median rent for a three-bedroom was $50,400.

“At its heart, our affordability crisis is a supply crisis,” Kenny Lee, a senior economist at both Zillow and New York City apartment portal StreetEasy,  said in a statement. “As the average age of renters climbs, more than a third of renters today have children, yet their options for affordable family-sized apartments remain limited in most markets. That pushes competition for homes higher, which pushes housing costs higher, and ultimately leads to more families doubling up or staying in homes they’ve long outgrown.”

Zillow’s report covered two other New England metros: the Hartford and Providence areas.

In Providence, 33.5 percent of families are renters, and 55.7 percent are cost-burdened. The median family income is $114,000 and the median annual listed rent for a two-bedroom was $26,220 in July, and the annual rent for a a three-bedroom was $31,200.

In, Hartford, just 26.9 percent of families rent, but 62.8 percent are rent-burdened. The median income for a family in Greater Hartford was $130,000 in July, while the median annual listed rent for a two-bedroom apartment was $24,708, while a three-bedroom went for $28,800.

Nationally, 31.7 percent of families are renters and 51.4 percent are rent-burdened as of July 2026.

Across the country, 37 percent of all rentals on Zillow in July offered two bedrooms, and 24.4 percent offered three or more. In Boston, 34.3 percent of rental listings have two bedrooms while 27 percent have three bedrooms. While Hartford has 38.9 percent of listings featuring two bedrooms, just 18.1 percent have three bedrooms.