County FMR · HUD FY2026

Montrose County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Montrose County, CO - 7% below the US average.

$890
1-bedroom FMR
$1,168
2-bedroom FMR
+1.9%
YoY change
-7%
vs US avg

The verdict

Montrose is the 29th cheapest of 64 counties in Colorado by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,101 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#1,101
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#29
cheapest of 64 in Colorado (2BR)
-23%
vs the state average
$35,600
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.9%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (34%); 13 of 15 common occupations here can afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent without exceeding the 30% threshold.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Montrose County, CO. Verify with HUD →

Montrose County, Colorado carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $890 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,168/mo and a studio is $884/mo. That's 7% below the national benchmark of $959 and 23% below the Colorado average of $1,161.

Rent increased1.9% from FY 2025 ($873), roughly tracking inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $35,600/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 46.6% of the 4,444 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 Colorado. Population: 42,823. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.9%, Census ACS). That's in line with Colorado's statewide growth of +5.1% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area MONTROSE·COUNTY·CO·CO

Montrose County, CO: $890/mo 1BR · #1101 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA CO
  • 1BR-FMR $890
  • 2BR-FMR $1,168
  • RANK-MID #1,101
  • YOY-FLAT +1.9%
  • VSUS-NEAR -7%
  • VS-ST-LOW -23% CO
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-SMALL 43K
  • PHOTO-NEAR El Paso County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $801–$979
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: El Paso ($574 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,083 · US avg: $893
$884/mo
↑ 2.0% YoY -18% vs state -1% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,161 · US avg: $959
$890/mo
↑ 1.9% YoY -23% vs state -7% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,429 · US avg: $1,175
$1,168/mo
↑ 2.0% YoY -18% vs state -1% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,861 · US avg: $1,525
$1,624/mo
↑ 1.2% YoY -13% vs state +6% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,178 · US avg: $1,756
$1,959/mo
↑ 1.9% YoY -10% vs state +12% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $867
$884
+$17 (+2.0%)
1 Bedroom $873
$890
+$17 (+1.9%)
2 Bedroom $1,145
$1,168
+$23 (+2.0%)
3 Bedroom $1,604
$1,624
+$20 (+1.2%)
4 Bedroom $1,923
$1,959
+$36 (+1.9%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
16.1%
Affordable
Need $35,360/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
16.2%
Affordable
Need $35,600/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
21.2%
Affordable
Need $46,720/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
29.5%
Affordable
Need $64,960/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
35.6%
Burdened
Need $78,360/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%21.2%
Montrose County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $66,072 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Colorado rent burden →

Where Montrose sits among every US county

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

$1,168 Top 35% higher than 65% 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 Montrose compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Colorado counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Montrose is highlighted. Nearby Colorado counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Denver County ($1,754), Arapahoe County ($1,754), Jefferson County ($1,754), Adams County ($1,754), Douglas County ($1,754), El Paso County ($1,464), Montrose County (this county) ($890).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $890/mo compares to Colorado salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation CO Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $134,540 7.9% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $130,340 8.2% Affordable
Registered Nurses $96,520 11.1% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $96,100 11.1% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $90,030 11.9% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $73,380 14.6% Affordable
Electricians $62,090 17.2% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $61,550 17.4% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,260 17.7% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $48,070 22.2% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $46,020 23.2% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $37,270 28.7% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $36,960 28.9% Affordable
Fast Food & Counter Workers $35,440 30.1% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $31,390 34% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Colorado) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Montrose (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 43.5% overall, from $620 to $890. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +14.0% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$600$700$800$900$1,000 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $890
Montrose County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑1.9% $884 $890 $1,168
FY 2025 ↓5.1% $867 $873 $1,145
FY 2024 ↑14.0% $914 $920 $1,209
FY 2023 ↑3.9% $801 $807 $1,062
FY 2022 ↑13.4% $772 $777 $1,022
FY 2021 ↑10.5% $681 $685 $903
FY 2020 $616 $620 $817
Total change (6yr): +43.5%
Annualized: +6.2%/yr
1 BR: $620 → $890

Part of the Montrose, CO Micro Area

Montrose County is a central county of the Montrose, CO micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Montrose County, both outside Colorado 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 CO (FY2026).

Genesee County
NY · 2 BR $1,168/mo
Iowa County
WI · 2 BR $1,168/mo
Tuscaloosa County
AL · 2 BR $1,169/mo
Troup County
GA · 2 BR $1,167/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Putnam County
GA · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $1,134/mo
Dawson County
MT · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $1,254/mo
Camp County
TX · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Pontotoc County
MS · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $932/mo

Nearby Counties in Colorado

Largest counties by population in Colorado

Showing the 8 largest of 63 other counties in Colorado.

El Paso County
1 BR: $1,464/mo Pop: 730,323
Denver County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 710,800
Arapahoe County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 654,453
Jefferson County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 580,519
Adams County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 520,149
Douglas County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 360,206
Larimer County
1 BR: $1,537/mo Pop: 359,363
Weld County
1 BR: $1,238/mo Pop: 331,466
View all counties in Colorado →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Montrose County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Montrose County is $890 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,168 and a studio is $884.
How does Montrose County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Montrose County is 7% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $890 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Montrose County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Montrose County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,168 ranks #1,101 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 Montrose County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $35,600 ($2,967/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Montrose County.
Is rent going up or down in Montrose County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Montrose County increased by 1.9% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $873 to $890.
Which jobs can afford rent in Montrose County? ▼
Based on Colorado BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $890/mo. 13 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Montrose County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Montrose County went from $620 in FY 2020 to $890 in FY 2026, a total change of +43.5% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Montrose County? ▼
In Montrose County, the FY 2026 FMR of $890/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 Montrose County? ▼
For Montrose County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($890/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.