County FMR · HUD FY2026

Androscoggin County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Androscoggin County, ME - 27% above the US average.

$1,218
1-bedroom FMR
$1,586
2-bedroom FMR
+22.5%
YoY change
+27%
vs US avg

The verdict

Androscoggin is the 3rd most expensive of 16 counties in Maine by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #409 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 22.5% since FY 2025, a sharp move relative to most counties.

#409
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#3
most expensive of 16 in Maine (2BR)
+6%
vs the state average
$48,720
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (12.8%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (42.5%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Androscoggin County, ME. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Androscoggin County, Maine at $1,218 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,586/mo and a studio is $1,140/mo. This is 27% higher than the national average of $959 and 6% above the Maine average of $1,153.

Rent increased22.5% from FY 2025 ($994), outpacing inflation. A household needs about $48,720/year to stay under the 30% rent-to-income line.

Observed renter burden: 43.8% of the 15,222 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Maine. Population: 24,294. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.5%, Census ACS). That's in line with Maine's statewide growth of +3.3% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area ANDROSCOGGIN·COUNTY·ME·ME

Androscoggin County, ME: $1,218/mo 1BR · #409 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA ME
  • 1BR-FMR $1,218
  • 2BR-FMR $1,586
  • RANK-MID #409
  • YOY-SURGE +22.5%
  • VSUS-HIGH +27%
  • VS-ST-NEAR +6% ME
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-SMALL 24K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Waldo County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,096–$1,340
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Waldo ($55 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,080 · US avg: $893
$1,140/mo
↑ 26.9% YoY +6% vs state +28% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,153 · US avg: $959
$1,218/mo
↑ 22.5% YoY +6% vs state +27% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,448 · US avg: $1,175
$1,586/mo
↑ 25.1% YoY +10% vs state +35% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,917 · US avg: $1,525
$2,050/mo
↑ 23.3% YoY +7% vs state +34% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,133 · US avg: $1,756
$2,305/mo
↑ 24.9% YoY +8% vs state +31% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $898
$1,140
+$242 (+26.9%)
1 Bedroom $994
$1,218
+$224 (+22.5%)
2 Bedroom $1,268
$1,586
+$318 (+25.1%)
3 Bedroom $1,663
$2,050
+$387 (+23.3%)
4 Bedroom $1,845
$2,305
+$460 (+24.9%)

Rent Burden Analysis

How much of household income goes to rent in Androscoggin County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.

Studio
20.3%
Affordable
Need $45,600/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
21.7%
Affordable
Need $48,720/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
28.3%
Affordable
Need $63,440/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
36.6%
Burdened
Need $82,000/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
41.1%
Burdened
Need $92,200/yr for 30% rule
How we calculate this

Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.

0%100%National avg22%28.3%
Androscoggin County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $67,298 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Maine rent burden →

Where Androscoggin sits among every US county

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties

$1,586 Top 13% higher than 87% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). This entry sits in this band. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 29 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 40 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 13 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 9 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 15 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. This county $600 $4,400 every US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

How Androscoggin compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Maine counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Androscoggin is highlighted. Nearby Maine counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: York County ($1,412), Cumberland County ($1,397), Knox County ($1,270), Androscoggin County (this county) ($1,218), Waldo County ($1,163), Kennebec County ($1,090), Somerset County ($1,083).

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

Against a high local FMR of $1,218/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using Maine BLS wages?

Occupation ME Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $113,800 12.8% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $96,740 15.1% Affordable
Registered Nurses $82,860 17.6% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $77,680 18.8% Affordable
Electricians $67,820 21.6% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $65,330 22.4% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $62,300 23.5% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $58,510 25% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $51,930 28.1% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $45,240 32.3% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $43,870 33.3% Stretched
Pharmacy Technicians $40,950 35.7% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $38,560 37.9% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $36,460 40.1% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $34,360 42.5% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Maine) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

7-year Fair Market Rent history for Androscoggin County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Androscoggin (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 85.1% overall, from $658 to $1,218. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +22.5% in FY 2026, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$600$800$1,000$1,200$1,400 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,218
Androscoggin County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑22.5% $1,140 $1,218 $1,586
FY 2025 ↑13.3% $898 $994 $1,268
FY 2024 ↑5.2% $756 $877 $1,111
FY 2023 ↑6.8% $747 $834 $1,060
FY 2022 ↑6.0% $717 $781 $999
FY 2021 ↑12.0% $685 $737 $947
FY 2020 $613 $658 $844
Total change (6yr): +85.1%
Annualized: +10.8%/yr
1 BR: $658 → $1,218

Part of the Lewiston-Auburn, ME Metro Area

Androscoggin County is a central county of the Lewiston-Auburn, ME metropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Androscoggin County, both outside Maine so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.

Similar 2-bedroom FMR

Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside ME (FY2026).

La Plata County
CO · 2 BR $1,589/mo
Tuolumne County
CA · 2 BR $1,589/mo
Shasta County
CA · 2 BR $1,590/mo
Ector County
TX · 2 BR $1,595/mo

Similar rent burden

Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside ME).

Gilpin County
CO · 28.3% of income · 2 BR $2,089/mo
Sharkey County
MS · 28.3% of income · 2 BR $842/mo
Twiggs County
GA · 28.3% of income · 2 BR $1,307/mo
Edgecombe County
NC · 28.3% of income · 2 BR $1,143/mo

Nearby Counties in Maine

Largest counties by population in Maine

Showing the 8 largest of 15 other counties in Maine.

Waldo County
1 BR: $1,163/mo Pop: 6,985
York County
1 BR: $1,412/mo Pop: 2,695
Somerset County
1 BR: $1,083/mo Pop: 2,570
Kennebec County
1 BR: $1,090/mo Pop: 2,358
Knox County
1 BR: $1,270/mo Pop: 1,502
Cumberland County
1 BR: $1,397/mo Pop: 1,178
Washington County
1 BR: $954/mo Pop: 1,077
Lincoln County
1 BR: $1,280/mo Pop: 829
View all counties in Maine →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Androscoggin County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Androscoggin County is $1,218 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,586 and a studio is $1,140.
How does Androscoggin County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Androscoggin County is 27% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,218 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Androscoggin County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Androscoggin County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,586 ranks #409 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the upper-rent quarter of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Androscoggin County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $48,720 ($4,060/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Androscoggin County.
Is rent going up or down in Androscoggin County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Androscoggin County increased by 22.5% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $994 to $1,218.
Which jobs can afford rent in Androscoggin County? ▼
Based on Maine BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,218/mo. 9 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Androscoggin County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Androscoggin County went from $658 in FY 2020 to $1,218 in FY 2026, a total change of +85.1% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Androscoggin County? ▼
In Androscoggin County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,218/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Androscoggin County? ▼
For Androscoggin County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,218/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD Fair Market Rents. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county-level fair-market rent estimates by bedroom count. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
  • HUD Income Limits - area median income for affordability calculations. huduser.gov/datasets/il
  • HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) - rent burden and housing-cost distribution. huduser.gov/datasets/cp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - county and metro housing characteristics + median rent. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence - rent inflation by metro. bls.gov/cpi
  • IRS Migration Data (SOI) - interstate migration aggregates affecting county demand. irs.gov/statistics/migration
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - state-level median wages by occupation, used for job affordability analysis. bls.gov/oes

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.