County FMR · HUD FY2026

Harnett County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Harnett County, NC - 16% below the US average.

$810
1-bedroom FMR
$980
2-bedroom FMR
+1.8%
YoY change
-16%
vs US avg

The verdict

Harnett is the 39th cheapest of 100 counties in North Carolina by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,322 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties.

#1,322
most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#39
cheapest of 100 in North Carolina (2BR)
-17%
vs the state average
$32,400
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.4%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (34.4%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Harnett County, NC. Verify with HUD →

The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Harnett County, North Carolina is $810 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $980/mo and a studio is $805/mo. This is 16% lower than the national average of $959 and 17% below the North Carolina average of $981.

Rent increased1.8% from FY 2025 ($796), roughly tracking inflation. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $32,400/year.

Observed renter burden: 37.9% of the 14,838 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 North Carolina. Population: 134,718. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.7%, Census ACS). That's in line with North Carolina's statewide growth of +4.2% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area HARNETT·COUNTY·NC·NC

Harnett County, NC: $810/mo 1BR · #1322 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA NC
  • 1BR-FMR $810
  • 2BR-FMR $980
  • RANK-MID #1,322
  • YOY-FLAT +1.8%
  • VSUS-BELOW -16%
  • VS-ST-LOW -17% NC
  • INC-ROOM 14%
  • POP-MID 135K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Wake County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $729–$891
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Wake ($786 1BR gap)

Read with: Section 8 housing guide

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $932 · US avg: $893
$805/mo
↑ 1.8% YoY -14% vs state -10% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $981 · US avg: $959
$810/mo
↑ 1.8% YoY -17% vs state -16% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,161 · US avg: $1,175
$980/mo
↓ 6.1% YoY -16% vs state -17% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,499 · US avg: $1,525
$1,363/mo
↓ 6.8% YoY -9% vs state -11% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,780 · US avg: $1,756
$1,644/mo
↓ 6.2% YoY -8% vs state -6% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $791
$805
+$14 (+1.8%)
1 Bedroom $796
$810
+$14 (+1.8%)
2 Bedroom $1,044
$980
$-64 (-6.1%)
3 Bedroom $1,463
$1,363
$-100 (-6.8%)
4 Bedroom $1,753
$1,644
$-109 (-6.2%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
14%
Affordable
Need $32,200/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
14.1%
Affordable
Need $32,400/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
17%
Affordable
Need $39,200/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
23.7%
Affordable
Need $54,520/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
28.6%
Affordable
Need $65,760/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%17%
Harnett County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $69,012 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View North Carolina rent burden →

Where Harnett sits among every US county

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

$980 higher than 42% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). This entry sits in this band. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). Above this entry. $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 Harnett compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other North Carolina counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Harnett 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), Harnett County (this county) ($810).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

With a below-average 1-bedroom at $810/mo, most of these North Carolina occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.

Occupation NC Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $131,000 7.4% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $99,190 9.8% Affordable
Registered Nurses $81,860 11.9% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $80,490 12.1% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $58,030 16.7% Affordable
Electricians $54,070 18% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $49,580 19.6% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $49,400 19.7% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $49,390 19.7% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $39,870 24.4% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $39,530 24.6% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $32,630 29.8% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $30,090 32.3% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $28,760 33.8% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $28,230 34.4% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (North Carolina) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Harnett (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 35.9% overall, from $596 to $810. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 19.7% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.

$500$600$700$800$900 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $810
Harnett County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑1.8% $805 $810 $980
FY 2025 ↓7.1% $791 $796 $1,044
FY 2024 ↑19.7% $851 $857 $1,126
FY 2023 ↑10.0% $712 $716 $943
FY 2022 ↑8.7% $646 $651 $856
FY 2021 ↑0.5% $595 $599 $790
FY 2020 $592 $596 $785
Total change (6yr): +35.9%
Annualized: +5.2%/yr
1 BR: $596 → $810

Part of the Anderson Creek, NC Micro Area

Harnett County is a central county of the Anderson Creek, NC micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Harnett 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).

Franklin County
TN · 2 BR $980/mo
Defiance County
OH · 2 BR $980/mo
Plymouth County
IA · 2 BR $980/mo
Carbon County
WY · 2 BR $980/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Wayne County
NE · 17% of income · 2 BR $961/mo
Whiteside County
IL · 17% of income · 2 BR $916/mo
Perkins County
SD · 17% of income · 2 BR $929/mo
Wells County
IN · 17.1% of income · 2 BR $991/mo

Nearby Counties in North Carolina

Largest counties by population in North Carolina

Showing the 8 largest of 99 other counties in North Carolina.

Wake County
1 BR: $1,596/mo Pop: 1,132,103
Mecklenburg County
1 BR: $1,538/mo Pop: 1,115,403
Guilford County
1 BR: $1,213/mo Pop: 539,557
Forsyth County
1 BR: $1,082/mo Pop: 383,739
Cumberland County
1 BR: $1,113/mo Pop: 335,207
Durham County
1 BR: $1,507/mo Pop: 325,101
Buncombe County
1 BR: $1,429/mo Pop: 269,449
Union County
1 BR: $1,538/mo Pop: 240,109
View all counties in North Carolina →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Harnett County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Harnett County is $810 per month. A 2-bedroom is $980 and a studio is $805.
How does Harnett County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Harnett County is 16% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $810 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Harnett County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Harnett County's 2-bedroom FMR of $980 ranks #1,322 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Harnett County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $32,400 ($2,700/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Harnett County.
Is rent going up or down in Harnett County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Harnett County increased by 1.8% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $796 to $810.
Which jobs can afford rent in Harnett 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 $810/mo. 12 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Harnett County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Harnett County went from $596 in FY 2020 to $810 in FY 2026, a total change of +35.9% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Harnett County? ▼
In Harnett County, the FY 2026 FMR of $810/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 Harnett County? ▼
For Harnett County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($810/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.