County FMR · HUD FY2026
Chattooga County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Chattooga County, GA - 17% below the US average.
- $794
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $973
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +9.4%
- YoY change
- -17%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Chattooga is the 11th cheapest of 159 counties in Georgia by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #976 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 9.4% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.
- #976
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #11
- cheapest of 159 in Georgia (2BR)
- -22%
- vs the state average
- $31,760
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.4%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (36.2%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Chattooga County, GA. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Chattooga County, Georgia at $794 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $973/mo and a studio is $789/mo. This is 17% lower than the national average of $959 and 22% below the Georgia average of $1,023.
Rent increased9.4% from FY 2025 ($726), outpacing inflation. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $31,760/year.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Georgia. Population: 24,902. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+0.6%, Census ACS). That's slower than Georgia's statewide growth of +5.1% over the same period.
What these rents mean for Chattooga County
HUD publishes one FMR schedule per FMR area (often the county). Local housing authorities use it as the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment-standard baseline. See how FMR is calculated.
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Chattooga County's 2-bedroom of $973 ranks #976 most affordable of 3,145 US counties, in the middle half of HUD counties.
This is a below-average rent market: 1-bedroom FMR is 17% under the US average of $959 and 22% below Georgia's $1,023. HUD's 1-bedroom figure shifted from $726 (FY 2025) to $794 (FY 2026), a +9.4% move that still leaves this county below the US mid-point.
A 1-bedroom at $794 needs $31,760/year under the 30% rule against a county median of $47,785, and the median household clears that line with room to spare. A 2-bedroom at $973 is the next step up.
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $652 | $789 | +$137 (+21.0%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $726 | $794 | +$68 (+9.4%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $905 | $973 | +$68 (+7.5%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,268 | $1,353 | +$85 (+6.7%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,485 | $1,632 | +$147 (+9.9%) |
Affordability Snapshot
Based on the standard that rent should not exceed 30% of gross income:
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Chattooga 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 Chattooga sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$973 higher than 31% 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 Chattooga compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Georgia counties
- Fulton
Fulton County
$1,660 1BR FMR / mo
- Gwinnett
Gwinnett County
$1,660 1BR FMR / mo
- Cobb
Cobb County
$1,660 1BR FMR / mo
- DeKalb
DeKalb County
$1,660 1BR FMR / mo
- Clayton
Clayton County
$1,660 1BR FMR / mo
- Chatham
Chatham County
$1,533 1BR FMR / mo
- Chattooga
Chattooga County
$794 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Chattooga is highlighted. Nearby Georgia counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Fulton County ($1,660), Gwinnett County ($1,660), Cobb County ($1,660), DeKalb County ($1,660), Clayton County ($1,660), Chatham County ($1,533), Chattooga County (this county) ($794).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $794/mo, most of these Georgia occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | GA Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $128,920 | 7.4% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $99,800 | 9.5% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $86,560 | 11% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $80,100 | 11.9% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $63,490 | 15% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $58,860 | 16.2% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $56,570 | 16.8% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $56,350 | 16.9% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $55,120 | 17.3% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $39,030 | 24.4% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,390 | 24.8% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $33,130 | 28.8% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $29,770 | 32% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $27,860 | 34.2% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $26,310 | 36.2% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Chattooga County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Chattooga (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 60.7% overall, from $494 to $794. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +16.4% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑9.4% | $789 | $794 | $973 |
| FY 2025 ↑6.5% | $652 | $726 | $905 |
| FY 2024 ↑16.4% | $633 | $682 | $885 |
| FY 2023 ↑9.5% | $529 | $586 | $772 |
| FY 2022 ↑8.7% | $472 | $535 | $704 |
| FY 2021 ↓0.4% | $488 | $492 | $648 |
| FY 2020 | $491 | $494 | $651 |
Part of the Summerville, GA Micro Area
Chattooga County is a central county of the Summerville, GA micropolitan statistical area.
Nearby Counties in Georgia
Largest counties by population in Georgia
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Chattooga County? ▼
How does Chattooga County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Chattooga County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Chattooga County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Chattooga County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Chattooga County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Chattooga County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Chattooga County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Chattooga County? ▼
What this means for renters
Treat Chattooga's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a market quote.
- Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $794 implies about $31,760/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- Compare this county against nearby metros and states before signing a lease. Compare areas
- See where it sits on the national rent map. View rankings
Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Actual asking rents in Chattooga can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This page is informational and not financial or relocation advice.
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.
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.