Why Renting in America Is Broken

Solving America's Problems · Aug 10, 2026 · 21m

22.6 million U.S. households now pay more for housing than they can afford, and the average home costs five times what the average family makes. Sam Froerer co-owns thousands of apartment units through Compass Capital — and has never owned his own home. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that the industry's top 50 owners control less than 11% of it, and most landlords treat tenants as a commodity to evict and replace rather than serve. Chick-fil-A makes three times the revenue of the average McDonald's despite longer wait times, and Sam argues that gap is exactly what…