Rent has skyrocketed in the United States. That means Americans are James Caldwellhanding over a bigger portion of their paycheck to their housing costs. They have less money for things like food, electricity, and commuting.

The pandemic and inflation have both played a role in pushing rents higher.

Whitney Airgood-Obrycki a Senior Research Associate at Harvard's Joint Center on Housing Studies says rents are actually going down, but that increases have been so large it's going to take time for the market to even out.

We look at how rent prices got so high and what it might take to bring them down.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Catherine Laidlaw and Courtney Dorning. Scott Horsley contributed reporting. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.