County FMR · HUD FY2026
Greene County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Greene County, NC - 14% below the US average.
- $823
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $925
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +9.6%
- YoY change
- -14%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Greene is the 8th cheapest of 100 counties in North Carolina by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #599 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 9.6% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.
- #599
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #8
- cheapest of 100 in North Carolina (2BR)
- -16%
- vs the state average
- $32,920
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.5%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (35%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Greene County, NC. Verify with HUD →
The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Greene County, North Carolina is $823 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $925/mo and a studio is $782/mo. This is 14% lower than the national average of $959 and 16% below the North Carolina average of $981.
Rent increased9.6% from FY 2025 ($751), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $32,920/year for a 1-bedroom.
Observed renter burden: 38.1% of the 2,369 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 4.9%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 3.4% over the past 12 months, a tight labor market that typically supports steadier rent demand.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in North Carolina. Population: 20,407. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-2.8%, Census ACS). That's slower than North Carolina's statewide growth of +4.2% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area GREENE·COUNTY·NC·NC
Greene County, NC: $823/mo 1BR · #599 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA NC
- 1BR-FMR $823
- 2BR-FMR $925
- RANK-MID #599
- YOY-SURGE +9.6%
- VSUS-BELOW -14%
- VS-ST-LOW -16% NC
- INC-ROOM 19%
- POP-SMALL 20K
- PHOTO-NEAR Wake County
- VOUCH-90-110 $741–$905
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Wake ($773 1BR gap)
Read with: How Fair Market Rent works
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $746 | $782 | +$36 (+4.8%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $751 | $823 | +$72 (+9.6%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $930 | $925 | $-5 (-0.5%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,242 | $1,189 | $-53 (-4.3%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,336 | $1,390 | +$54 (+4.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Greene 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 Greene sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$925 higher than 19% 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 Greene compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other North Carolina counties
- Wake
Wake County
$1,596 1BR FMR / mo
- Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg County
$1,538 1BR FMR / mo
- Durham
Durham County
$1,507 1BR FMR / mo
- Guilford
Guilford County
$1,213 1BR FMR / mo
- Cumberland
Cumberland County
$1,113 1BR FMR / mo
- Forsyth
Forsyth County
$1,082 1BR FMR / mo
- Greene
Greene County
$823 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Greene is highlighted. Nearby North Carolina counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Wake County ($1,596), Mecklenburg County ($1,538), Durham County ($1,507), Guilford County ($1,213), Cumberland County ($1,113), Forsyth County ($1,082), Greene County (this county) ($823).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
How a 1-bedroom at $823/mo compares to North Carolina salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).
| Occupation | NC Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $131,000 | 7.5% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $99,190 | 10% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $81,860 | 12.1% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $80,490 | 12.3% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $58,030 | 17% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $54,070 | 18.3% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $49,580 | 19.9% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $49,400 | 20% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $49,390 | 20% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $39,870 | 24.8% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $39,530 | 25% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $32,630 | 30.3% | Stretched |
| Retail Salespersons | $30,090 | 32.8% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $28,760 | 34.3% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $28,230 | 35% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Greene County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Greene (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 61.7% overall, from $509 to $823. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +14.2% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑9.6% | $782 | $823 | $925 |
| FY 2025 ↑12.3% | $746 | $751 | $930 |
| FY 2024 ↑14.2% | $665 | $669 | $856 |
| FY 2023 ↑6.5% | $582 | $586 | $771 |
| FY 2022 ↑4.6% | $547 | $550 | $724 |
| FY 2021 ↑3.3% | $522 | $526 | $693 |
| FY 2020 | $506 | $509 | $671 |
Where Greene County Ranks in North Carolina
Greene County is not part of any federally-designated metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area -- an independent rental market not administratively tied to a larger urban core. By 2-bedroom FMR, it ranks #8 of 100 counties in North Carolina. Nearest by rank: Ashe County ($925), Beaufort County ($925), Bladen County ($925), Caswell County ($925), Cleveland County ($925), Columbus County ($925), Graham County ($925), Greene County (this county) ($925), Halifax County ($925), Hertford County ($925), Jones County ($925), Lenoir County ($925), Martin County ($925), McDowell County ($925), Mitchell County ($925), Montgomery County ($925).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Greene County, both outside North 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 NC (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside NC).
Nearby Counties in North Carolina
Largest counties by population in North Carolina
Showing the 8 largest of 99 other counties in North Carolina.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Greene County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Greene County is $823 per month. A 2-bedroom is $925 and a studio is $782.
How does Greene County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Greene County is 14% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $823 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Greene County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Greene County's 2-bedroom FMR of $925 ranks #599 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the lower-rent quarter of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Greene County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $32,920 ($2,743/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Greene County.
Is rent going up or down in Greene County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Greene County increased by 9.6% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $751 to $823.
Which jobs can afford rent in Greene County?
Based on North 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 $823/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Greene County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Greene County went from $509 in FY 2020 to $823 in FY 2026, a total change of +61.7% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Greene County?
In Greene County, the FY 2026 FMR of $823/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 Greene County?
For Greene County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($823/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Greene County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.9%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
What is the unemployment rate in Greene County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 3.4% over the past 12 months, a tight labor market that typically supports steadier rent demand.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Greene'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 $823 implies about $32,920/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- North Carolina counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Wake
- See where Greene 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.