03:30 PM EDT, 08/13/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US households with children face a higher risk of rent burdens than those without kids, Zillow Group ( ZG ) (Z, ZG) said Thursday, citing new analysis of US Census Bureau data.

About one-third of US families with children are renters, and 54% of those households are considered rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent, according to the online real estate marketplace.

The US faces a 4.7 million-unit housing shortage, which continues to push costs higher for families needing multi-bedroom homes, Zillow ( ZG ) said.

"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," said Kenny Lee, Zillow ( ZG ) senior economist. "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."

Only 37% of all rentals on Zillow ( ZG ) last month offered two bedrooms, while 24% offered three or more.

Although family households generally earn more than nonfamily households, affordability challenges persist in high-cost markets. In Miami, 42% of family households rent, and 67% of those renters are considered rent-burdened, Zillow ( ZG ) said.

Finding affordable homes is most difficult in expensive coastal markets such as Seattle and New York City, where fewer than half of rental listings offer at least two bedrooms, Zillow ( ZG ) said.

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