Share Of U.S. Renter Households Nears 50-Year High

A new report from Pew Research found that 36.6 percent of Americans rent their homes, up from 31.2 percent a decade ago. It’s the highest rent share since 37 percent in 1965.

CNBC reports that the number of renters across the nation rose to 43.3 million in 2016, up from from 34.6 million in 2006.

The number of households in the U.S. increased by 7.6 million since 2000, but the number of homeowners actually dipped a bit over the last decade, from 76.1 million to 75 million.

Rising home prices, lingering fears from the housing crash, and larger amounts of student debt are some of the reasons why many Americans see the appeal of renting, said Richard Fry, a senior researcher at Pew and one of the report's authors.

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