County FMR · HUD FY2026
Berkeley County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Berkeley County, WV - 1% above the US average.
- $971
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,233
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +1.3%
- YoY change
- +1%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Berkeley is the 3rd most expensive of 55 counties in West Virginia by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #912 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #912
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #3
- most expensive of 55 in West Virginia (2BR)
- +27%
- vs the state average
- $38,840
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (11.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (46.7%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Berkeley County, WV. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Berkeley County, West Virginia at $971 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,233/mo and a studio is $850/mo. This is 1% higher than the national average of $959 and 27% above the West Virginia average of $766.
Rent increased1.3% from FY 2025 ($959), roughly tracking inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $38,840/year for a 1-bedroom.
Observed renter burden: 43.4% of the 12,150 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.
Market slack: The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 1.3%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 3.7% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in West Virginia. Population: 123,283. Population grew 11.2% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing counties nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. That's faster than West Virginia's statewide growth of -2.4% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area BERKELEY·COUNTY·WV·WV
Berkeley County, WV: $971/mo 1BR · #912 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA WV
- 1BR-FMR $971
- 2BR-FMR $1,233
- RANK-MID #912
- YOY-FLAT +1.3%
- VSUS-NEAR +1%
- VS-ST-HIGH +27% WV
- INC-ROOM 15%
- POP-MID 123K
- PHOTO-NEAR Kanawha County
- VOUCH-90-110 $874–$1,068
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Kanawha ($142 1BR gap)
Read with: How Fair Market Rent works
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $826 | $850 | +$24 (+2.9%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $959 | $971 | +$12 (+1.3%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,204 | $1,233 | +$29 (+2.4%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,673 | $1,702 | +$29 (+1.7%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,022 | $1,947 | $-75 (-3.7%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Berkeley County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.
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.
Where Berkeley sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$1,233 Top 29% higher than 71% of 3,145 counties
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 Berkeley compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other West Virginia counties
- Berkeley
Berkeley County
$971 1BR FMR / mo
- Monongalia
Monongalia County
$877 1BR FMR / mo
- Cabell
Cabell County
$853 1BR FMR / mo
- Harrison
Harrison County
$843 1BR FMR / mo
- Kanawha
Kanawha County
$829 1BR FMR / mo
- Wood
Wood County
$745 1BR FMR / mo
- Raleigh
Raleigh County
$719 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Berkeley is highlighted. Nearby West Virginia counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Berkeley County (this county) ($971), Monongalia County ($877), Cabell County ($853), Harrison County ($843), Kanawha County ($829), Wood County ($745), Raleigh County ($719).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
How a 1-bedroom at $971/mo compares to West Virginia salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).
| Occupation | WV Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $103,550 | 11.3% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $80,490 | 14.5% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $79,990 | 14.6% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $74,520 | 15.6% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $63,850 | 18.2% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $55,550 | 21% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $54,570 | 21.4% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $49,620 | 23.5% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $49,040 | 23.8% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $37,610 | 31% | Stretched |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $37,370 | 31.2% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $30,590 | 38.1% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $28,220 | 41.3% | Stretched |
| Retail Salespersons | $27,910 | 41.7% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $24,960 | 46.7% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Berkeley County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Berkeley (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 29.3% overall, from $751 to $971. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +14.1% in FY 2023, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑1.3% | $850 | $971 | $1,233 |
| FY 2025 ↑4.7% | $826 | $959 | $1,204 |
| FY 2024 ↑1.9% | $911 | $916 | $1,151 |
| FY 2023 ↑14.1% | $894 | $899 | $1,122 |
| FY 2022 ↑9.0% | $783 | $788 | $991 |
| FY 2021 ↓3.7% | $719 | $723 | $917 |
| FY 2020 | $744 | $751 | $951 |
Part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metro Area
Berkeley County is a central county of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV metropolitan statistical area, alongside 2 other metro-area counties.
Berkeley County ranks #1 of 3 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Berkeley County (this county) ($971), Washington County ($961), Morgan County ($732).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Berkeley County, both outside West Virginia 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 WV (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside WV).
Nearby Counties in West Virginia
Largest counties by population in West Virginia
Showing the 8 largest of 54 other counties in West Virginia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Berkeley County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Berkeley County is $971 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,233 and a studio is $850.
How does Berkeley County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Berkeley County is 1% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $971 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Berkeley County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Berkeley County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,233 ranks #912 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Berkeley County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $38,840 ($3,237/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Berkeley County.
Is rent going up or down in Berkeley County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Berkeley County increased by 1.3% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $959 to $971.
Which jobs can afford rent in Berkeley County?
Based on West Virginia BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $971/mo. 9 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Berkeley County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Berkeley County went from $751 in FY 2020 to $971 in FY 2026, a total change of +29.3% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Berkeley County?
In Berkeley County, the FY 2026 FMR of $971/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 Berkeley County?
For Berkeley County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($971/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Berkeley County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 1.3%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
What is the unemployment rate in Berkeley County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 3.7% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Berkeley's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.
- Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $971 implies about $38,840/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- West Virginia counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Kanawha
- See where Berkeley ranks nationally on rent. National rankings
Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Actual asking rents can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.
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.