County FMR · HUD FY2026

Columbia County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Columbia County, PA - 2% below the US average.

$941
1-bedroom FMR
$1,140
2-bedroom FMR
+8.0%
YoY change
-2%
vs US avg

The verdict

Columbia is the 33rd most expensive of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,164 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 8.0% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.

#1,164
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#33
most expensive of 67 in Pennsylvania (2BR)
-6%
vs the state average
$37,640
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (9.1%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (39.6%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Columbia County, PA. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Columbia County, Pennsylvania at $941 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,140/mo and a studio is $786/mo. This is 2% lower than the national average of $959 and 6% below the Pennsylvania average of $996.

Rent increased8.0% from FY 2025 ($871), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $37,640/year for a 1-bedroom.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Pennsylvania. Population: 64,924. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-1.8%, Census ACS). That's slower than Pennsylvania's statewide growth of +1.5% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area COLUMBIA·COUNTY·PA·PA

Columbia County, PA: $941/mo 1BR · #1164 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA PA
  • 1BR-FMR $941
  • 2BR-FMR $1,140
  • RANK-MID #1,164
  • YOY-SURGE +8.0%
  • VSUS-NEAR -2%
  • VS-ST-NEAR -6% PA
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MID 65K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Philadelphia Count
  • VOUCH-90-110 $847–$1,035
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Philadelphia ($579 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $900 · US avg: $893
$786/mo
↑ 7.7% YoY -13% vs state -12% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $996 · US avg: $959
$941/mo
↑ 8.0% YoY -6% vs state -2% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,225 · US avg: $1,175
$1,140/mo
↑ 7.0% YoY -7% vs state -3% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,570 · US avg: $1,525
$1,367/mo
↑ 6.5% YoY -13% vs state -10% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,744 · US avg: $1,756
$1,572/mo
↑ 4.5% YoY -10% vs state -10% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $730
$786
+$56 (+7.7%)
1 Bedroom $871
$941
+$70 (+8.0%)
2 Bedroom $1,065
$1,140
+$75 (+7.0%)
3 Bedroom $1,283
$1,367
+$84 (+6.5%)
4 Bedroom $1,505
$1,572
+$67 (+4.5%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
15.2%
Affordable
Need $31,440/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
18.2%
Affordable
Need $37,640/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
22.1%
Affordable
Need $45,600/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
26.5%
Affordable
Need $54,680/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
30.4%
Burdened
Need $62,880/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%22.1%
Columbia County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $61,992 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Pennsylvania rent burden →

Where Columbia sits among every US county

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

$1,140 Top 37% higher than 63% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $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 Columbia compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Pennsylvania counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Columbia is highlighted. Nearby Pennsylvania counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Philadelphia County ($1,520), Montgomery County ($1,520), Bucks County ($1,520), Delaware County ($1,520), Lancaster County ($1,220), Allegheny County ($1,077), Columbia County (this county) ($941).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $941/mo compares to Pennsylvania salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation PA Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $123,740 9.1% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $100,400 11.2% Affordable
Registered Nurses $87,610 12.9% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $86,350 13.1% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $77,330 14.6% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $74,160 15.2% Affordable
Electricians $65,400 17.3% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $60,950 18.5% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $58,540 19.3% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $43,080 26.2% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $37,560 30.1% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $35,670 31.7% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $30,550 37% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $30,410 37.1% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $28,490 39.6% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Pennsylvania) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Columbia (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 42.6% overall, from $660 to $941. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 9.9% (FY 2023).

$600$700$800$900$1,000 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $941
Columbia County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑8.0% $786 $941 $1,140
FY 2025 ↓0.8% $730 $871 $1,065
FY 2024 ↑8.7% $721 $878 $1,064
FY 2023 ↑9.9% $681 $808 $968
FY 2022 ↑4.4% $723 $735 $859
FY 2021 ↑6.7% $700 $704 $836
FY 2020 $656 $660 $791
Total change (6yr): +42.6%
Annualized: +6.1%/yr
1 BR: $660 → $941

Part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA Micro Area

Columbia County is a central county of the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Columbia County, both outside Pennsylvania 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 PA (FY2026).

Harrison County
MS · 2 BR $1,140/mo
Hancock County
MS · 2 BR $1,140/mo
Greene County
AL · 2 BR $1,140/mo
Lancaster County
NE · 2 BR $1,141/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Cherokee County
SC · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $902/mo
Monroe County
MO · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $888/mo
Wilson County
TN · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $1,730/mo
Simpson County
KY · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $1,055/mo

Nearby Counties in Pennsylvania

Largest counties by population in Pennsylvania

Showing the 8 largest of 66 other counties in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia County
1 BR: $1,520/mo Pop: 1,593,208
Allegheny County
1 BR: $1,077/mo Pop: 1,245,310
Montgomery County
1 BR: $1,520/mo Pop: 856,399
Bucks County
1 BR: $1,520/mo Pop: 645,163
Delaware County
1 BR: $1,520/mo Pop: 575,312
Lancaster County
1 BR: $1,220/mo Pop: 553,202
Chester County
1 BR: $1,520/mo Pop: 536,474
York County
1 BR: $1,060/mo Pop: 457,051
View all counties in Pennsylvania →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Columbia County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Columbia County is $941 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,140 and a studio is $786.
How does Columbia County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Columbia County is 2% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $941 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Columbia County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Columbia County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,140 ranks #1,164 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 Columbia County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $37,640 ($3,137/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Columbia County.
Is rent going up or down in Columbia County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Columbia County increased by 8.0% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $871 to $941.
Which jobs can afford rent in Columbia County? ▼
Based on Pennsylvania BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $941/mo. 10 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Columbia County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Columbia County went from $660 in FY 2020 to $941 in FY 2026, a total change of +42.6% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Columbia County? ▼
In Columbia County, the FY 2026 FMR of $941/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 Columbia County? ▼
For Columbia County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($941/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.