Rent continues to soar, and in some areas the average monthly rent accounts for more than 30 percent of household income, according to realtor.com.
The average rental prices hit a high in February and grew in the double digits year over year for the seventh consecutive month. Studio apartments to two-bedroom unit monthly rent was up 17.1 percent year over year last month, with the median rent in the 50 largest cities reaching $1,792.
The average rent for studios is $1,474, one-bedroom apartments are going for $1,648 on average per month and the average rent for two-bedroom apartments hit $2,002. Last month renters earning typical household income spent 29.7 percent of their income on rent, up from 24.8 percent the previous year.
The rent increases could hit nurses and other ASC staff members hard, as many surgery centers have had trouble keeping up with inflation. Most surgery centers budgeted just 3 percent raises for staff last year, according to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.
ASC nurses typically make around $37.05 per hour, according to VMG Health, and administrative staff make $27.27 per hour. Assuming the surgery center's staff members work 40 hours per week, the average nurse makes $1,482 and administrative staff members make $1,090 per week.
People spend the highest percentage of their household income on rent in these cities as of February:
1. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Fla.: 59.5 percent ($2,929)
2. Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim, Calif.: 46 percent ($2,993)
3. Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario, Calif.: 45.9 percent ($2,678)
4. Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Fla.: 44.7 percent ($2,098)
5. San Diego, Carlsbad, Calif.: 42.9 percent ($3,008)
6. New York City, Jersey City, Newark, N.J.: 40.9 percent ($2,725)
7. Las Vegas, Henderson, Paradise, Nev.: 39.6 percent ($1,600)
8. New Orleans, Metairie, La.: 37.2 percent ($1,725)
9. Orlando, Kissimmee, Sanford, Fla.: 36.7 percent ($1,843)
10. Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Ariz.: 34.7 percent ($1,855)