One way Californians cope with pricey housing is by squeezing more than the typical number of people into their living spaces.

My trusty spreadsheet identified this affordability twist by analyzing 2024 Census Bureau housing details for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These latest figures detail how many people live in the average housing unit and how much they pay.

Let’s start with renters. Last year, California had 2.63 people living in the average rental. That’s 21% above the 2.17 nationwide average.

Only Hawaii had more densely populated rentals with 2.64 residents. No. 3 was Nevada at 2.47, followed by Utah at 2.44, and Florida at 2.43. Texas was No. 8 at 2.35.

The fewest folks per rental were in Vermont at 1.79, Maine at 1.82, North Dakota at 1.83, D.C. at 1.86, and S

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