YOWSAHSCalifornia has 1.07 million households paying at least $3,000 a month to a landlord, and that flock has more than doubled in four years.

My trusty spreadsheet looked at Census Bureau housing data focusing on renters and how much they pay, comparing new 2023 results with pre-pandemic 2019. Tenants paying $3,000 or more is the highest price level tracked.

For starters, let’s note that high rent is no surprise to Californians. It ranked No. 1 in overall rent costs by census math for 2023 at $1,992 a month – 42% above the nation’s $1,406. Next was Hawaii at $1,940, Washington D.C. at $1,904, Colorado at $1,771, and Massachusetts at $1,757. Golden State rivals Texas was No. 18 at $1,413 and Florida was No. 7 at $1,719.

California also led the nation in 2023 in households paying $3,000 or more a month for rent. It’s home to 37% of the 2.9 million Americans paying that much to their landlord. It’s got more high-paying tenants than the next five states combined – New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas and New Jersey.

Plus, this high-priced housing is swelling. During the previous four years, the $3,000 club in California grew by 587,787 households – the largest jump in the nation and equal to one-third of the 1.8 million US additions to the group.