posted: Tuesday, 08 April 2008 2:31PM

Stamford, Norwalk Top National List of Expensive Rentals


STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) -- A national survey shows that Stamford and Norwalk have the most expensive rents among metropolitan areas in the United States for the second year in a row.

The report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that the hourly wage required to afford a market-rate, two-bedroom apartment in the Stamford and Norwalk area is $31.58.

That figure is nearly double the national average and about five times the federal minimum wage of $5.85 an hour. It's four times the state's minimum wage of $7.65 an hour.

Connecticut as a whole required a wage of more than $20 per hour for a two-bedroom apartment, making it the seventh most expensive state.