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Retailers traditionally use Black Friday sales help them afford their expenses, but a new report released Friday says, in Massachusetts, their workers can struggle to afford to rent an apartment.

According to a new analysis from economists at the brokerage Redfin, the typical Greater Boston retail worker earns 66.5 percent less than they would need to afford the typical apartment. This is only behind New York City for the greatest difference between typical retail wages and typical apartment rent.

“As the cost of living has increased, so have the sacrifices renters must make to afford a place to live,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather 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. The good news is rents are no longer rising as fast as they were during the pandemic, so rental affordability has actually improved slightly in recent years.”

While the issue is heightened in Greater Boston, this is an issue for retail workers across the country. The typical retail worker in America earns $34,436 per year, 51.6 percent less than what is needed to afford the typical apartment.

Additionally, 23 percent of all renters regularly or greatly struggle to afford the cost of housing, according to a Redfin-commissioned survey of roughly 1,600 renters conducted by Ipsos in May of 2025. Of the 541 renters who moved within the 12 months prior to the survey, 23 percent also said they did so for lower housing costs. Also many renters are eating at restaurants less often, taking fewer vacations and borrowing money from friends or family in order to make rent, Redfin reported in August.