Rent increases were highest in these states. Blame COVID

A new report by QuoteWizard, the insurance comparison platform, finds that the pandemic caused rent hikes in 35 states. The website studied the average monthly charge for one-bedroom apartments.

The state that saw the biggest jump is Delaware with a 12.3% difference, bringing that average to $1,142. No. 2 on the list is Idaho with 10.2% and $700, followed by Arizona and Montana, both with 9.1%—$979 and $743, respectively.

On the other side is Massachusetts, where rent dropped the most in the United States, down 11.3% to $1,152. Next is North Dakota, which saw a 9.1% decrease to $660, and New York and Washington tied for third with 7.8%. In the Empire State, that’s $1,303, while to residents of the Evergreen State, it means $1,149.

QuoteWizard said that California has the highest number of renters, with 41% of housing units occupied by renters. The state is home to 5,929,718 renter-occupied housing units. (The percentage is 42% in New York, but that represents fewer physical spaces—3,513,880.)

Where people are paying monthly to live also has shifted over the past year.

“Renters are leaving cities for the suburbs,” the report explains. “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of open apartments has gone down 10% in suburban areas.”