For young people getting ready to move out on their own, Pittsburgh is one of the most affordable metro areas in the United States, according to a recent report.
Rove Lab, a furniture brand, looked at the 100 most populous metropolitan areas around American and ranked them based on their affordability in an August 2026 report.
The study used 2022 and 2025 wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; and 2022 and 2024 data from the U.S. Census Bureau to determine metro areas' affordability. Based on that data, metro areas were given a score out of a possible 100.
Here's where Pittsburgh ranked.
Where does Pittsburgh rank among most affordable city's for young people?
Pittsburgh ranked at No. 7 among the most affordable metro areas in the U.S. for young adults,
according to Rove Lab.
These are the top 10 most affordable metro areas for young people, according to the study:
- No. 1: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas
- No. 2: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas
- No. 3: Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa
- No. 4: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- No. 5: Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee
- No. 6: Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- No. 7: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- No. 8: Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
- No. 9: Wichita, Kansas
- No. 10: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, Texas
How affordable is Pittsburgh for young people? Why?
Rove Lab examined numerous factors to determine Pittsburgh's affordability. Here's a breakdown of what they found:
- Average annual wage: $74,041
- Wage growth from 2022 to 2025: 10.0%
- Median monthly rent and utilities: $1,083
- Rent-to-income ratio: 17.6%
- Cost of living compared to national average: -5.33%
- Employment growth from 2022 to 2025: 4.3%
- Young adult population age 22 to 34: 16.3%
- Rental availability: 6.1%
- Vacant rental units: 20,614
- Arts and recreation rate per 100,000 residents: 46.3
- Restaurant and bar rate per 100,000 residents: 224.2
- Overall score (of out a possible 100): 71.50
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pittsburgh ranks among most affordable US cities for young adults
