County FMR · HUD FY2026

Darlington County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Darlington County, SC - 11% below the US average.

$856
1-bedroom FMR
$1,098
2-bedroom FMR
+3.9%
YoY change
-11%
vs US avg

The verdict

Darlington is the 23rd most expensive of 46 counties in South Carolina by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,289 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#1,289
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#23
most expensive of 46 in South Carolina (2BR)
-13%
vs the state average
$34,240
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (9.5%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (41.9%); nearby South Carolina counties range as much as 51% apart in 1-bedroom FMR, so the county line itself can matter for renters comparing options.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Darlington County, SC. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Darlington County, South Carolina at $856 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,098/mo and a studio is $850/mo. This is 11% lower than the national average of $959 and 13% below the South Carolina average of $982.

Rent increased3.9% from FY 2025 ($824), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $34,240/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 48.5% of the 7,364 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 South Carolina. Population: 63,025. Population declined 6.7% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels. That's slower than South Carolina's statewide growth of +5.2% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area DARLINGTON·COUNTY·SC·SC

Darlington County, SC: $856/mo 1BR · #1289 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA SC
  • 1BR-FMR $856
  • 2BR-FMR $1,098
  • RANK-MID #1,289
  • YOY-UP +3.9%
  • VSUS-BELOW -11%
  • VS-ST-LOW -13% SC
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-MID 63K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Greenville County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $770–$942
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Greenville ($365 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $928 · US avg: $893
$850/mo
↑ 3.8% YoY -8% vs state -5% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $982 · US avg: $959
$856/mo
↑ 3.9% YoY -13% vs state -11% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,155 · US avg: $1,175
$1,098/mo
↑ 4.1% YoY -5% vs state -7% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,450 · US avg: $1,525
$1,317/mo
↑ 3.6% YoY -9% vs state -14% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,699 · US avg: $1,756
$1,499/mo
↑ 2.5% YoY -12% vs state -15% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $819
$850
+$31 (+3.8%)
1 Bedroom $824
$856
+$32 (+3.9%)
2 Bedroom $1,055
$1,098
+$43 (+4.1%)
3 Bedroom $1,271
$1,317
+$46 (+3.6%)
4 Bedroom $1,462
$1,499
+$37 (+2.5%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
21.5%
Affordable
Need $34,000/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
21.7%
Affordable
Need $34,240/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
27.8%
Affordable
Need $43,920/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
33.3%
Burdened
Need $52,680/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
37.9%
Burdened
Need $59,960/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%27.8%
Darlington County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $47,419 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View South Carolina rent burden →

Where Darlington sits among every US county

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

$1,098 higher than 59% 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 Darlington compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other South Carolina counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Darlington is highlighted. Nearby South Carolina counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Charleston County ($1,630), Horry County ($1,229), Greenville County ($1,221), Richland County ($1,164), Lexington County ($1,164), Spartanburg County ($1,083), Darlington County (this county) ($856).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $856/mo compares to South Carolina salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation SC Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $108,690 9.5% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $99,340 10.3% Affordable
Registered Nurses $79,900 12.9% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $73,180 14% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $59,370 17.3% Affordable
Electricians $58,260 17.6% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $58,020 17.7% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $51,810 19.8% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $48,640 21.1% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $38,960 26.4% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $37,940 27.1% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $29,560 34.7% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $29,450 34.9% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $26,830 38.3% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $24,510 41.9% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (South Carolina) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Darlington (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 43.9% overall, from $595 to $856. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +13.0% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$500$600$700$800$900 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $856
Darlington County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑3.9% $850 $856 $1,098
FY 2025 ↑9.0% $819 $824 $1,055
FY 2024 ↑13.0% $751 $756 $959
FY 2023 ↑7.7% $665 $669 $807
FY 2022 ↑4.2% $586 $621 $721
FY 2021 ↑0.2% $516 $596 $679
FY 2020 $496 $595 $692
Total change (6yr): +43.9%
Annualized: +6.2%/yr
1 BR: $595 → $856

Part of the Florence, SC Metro Area

Darlington County is a outlying county of the Florence, SC metropolitan statistical area, alongside 1 other metro-area county.

Darlington County ranks #2 of 2 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Florence County ($953), Darlington County (this county) ($856).

Florence County
1 BR: $953/mo
Darlington County (this county)
1 BR: $856/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Darlington County, both outside South Carolina 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 SC (FY2026).

Atascosa County
TX · 2 BR $1,098/mo
Curry County
NM · 2 BR $1,098/mo
Calloway County
KY · 2 BR $1,098/mo
Sedgwick County
KS · 2 BR $1,099/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Fayette County
PA · 27.8% of income · 2 BR $1,299/mo
Snohomish County
WA · 27.8% of income · 2 BR $2,501/mo
Contra Costa County
CA · 27.8% of income · 2 BR $2,912/mo
Lincoln Parish
LA · 27.8% of income · 2 BR $881/mo

Nearby Counties in South Carolina

Largest counties by population in South Carolina

Showing the 8 largest of 45 other counties in South Carolina.

Greenville County
1 BR: $1,221/mo Pop: 528,251
Richland County
1 BR: $1,164/mo Pop: 416,161
Charleston County
1 BR: $1,630/mo Pop: 409,840
Horry County
1 BR: $1,229/mo Pop: 356,578
Spartanburg County
1 BR: $1,083/mo Pop: 330,119
Lexington County
1 BR: $1,164/mo Pop: 295,934
York County
1 BR: $1,538/mo Pop: 282,987
Berkeley County
1 BR: $1,630/mo Pop: 231,419
View all counties in South Carolina →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Darlington County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Darlington County is $856 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,098 and a studio is $850.
How does Darlington County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Darlington County is 11% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $856 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Darlington County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Darlington County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,098 ranks #1,289 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 Darlington County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $34,240 ($2,853/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Darlington County.
Is rent going up or down in Darlington County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Darlington County increased by 3.9% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $824 to $856.
Which jobs can afford rent in Darlington County? ▼
Based on South Carolina BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $856/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Darlington County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Darlington County went from $595 in FY 2020 to $856 in FY 2026, a total change of +43.9% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Darlington County? ▼
In Darlington County, the FY 2026 FMR of $856/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 Darlington County? ▼
For Darlington County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($856/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.