AISHA KARA
Rent Data Story
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Middle Tennessee State University on campus dormitory
Middle Tennessee
Rent prices in Rutherford County soared from 2023 to 2024 while wages remained stagnant, signaling a time of economic difficulties for residents, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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The average rent in cost for a studio apartment in Rutherford County rose $209 this year, according to an analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. On average, to live comfortably in a studio apartment in 2023, a person needed to earn an hourly wage of $24.69. In 2024, to live in the same apartment, a person needs to earn an hourly wage of $29.
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The figures call into question the sufficiency of wages being offered by employers in the Rutherford County area.
Dennis Magana in front of his family home
Murfreesboro resident Dennis Magana lives at home with his parents while working full-time for Walmart after graduating from high school.
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“I would never survive with the pay I have now if I paid rent,” Magana said, clarifying that to afford rent on his own with the pay he receives, as much as 80% of his monthly income would have to go towards rent alone.
Interactive Rent Data Map in Rutherford County
MTSU audio production junior Kharley Layton lives in an on-campus dorm after previously living in an off-campus apartment last year.
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“It’s nearly impossible to even rent an apartment unless you have a roommate or a well-paying job,” Layton said. “A lot of the jobs here pay so low, or they pay high but require you to be there all the time. So, it’s almost impossible to balance your income with rent for housing because rent takes up the majority of your paycheck.”
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Layton made sure to secure a dorm on campus this semester due to the financial and mental stress that living in an off-campus apartment caused her.
“When I had to pay rent, it affected me quite a bit because I would barely have any money for necessities and had to rely on my mom, despite me not wanting her help,” she said.