County FMR · HUD FY2026
Ocean County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Ocean County, NJ - 97% above the US average.
- $1,889
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $2,328
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +14.2%
- YoY change
- +97%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Ocean is the 5th most expensive of 21 counties in New Jersey by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #63 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 14.2% since FY 2025, a sharp move relative to most counties.
- #63
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #5
- most expensive of 21 in New Jersey (2BR)
- +7%
- vs the state average
- $75,560
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (15.1%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (68.1%); only 6 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 Ocean County, NJ. Verify with HUD →
Ocean County, New Jersey carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,889 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $2,328/mo and a studio is $1,676/mo. That's 97% above the national benchmark of $959 and 7% above the New Jersey average of $1,759.
Rent increased14.2% from FY 2025 ($1,654), outpacing inflation. Clearing the 30% rule here takes $75,560/year, a high bar relative to most US counties.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in New Jersey. Population: 638,691. Population grew 9.2% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing counties nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. That's faster than New Jersey's statewide growth of +4.3% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area OCEAN·COUNTY·NJ·NJ
Ocean County, NJ: $1,889/mo 1BR · #63 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA NJ
- 1BR-FMR $1,889
- 2BR-FMR $2,328
- RANK-UPPER #63
- YOY-SURGE +14.2%
- VSUS-HIGH +97%
- VS-ST-NEAR +7% NJ
- INC-MID 26%
- POP-MAJOR 639K
- PHOTO-NEAR Bergen County
- VOUCH-90-110 $1,700–$2,078
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Bergen ($135 1BR gap)
Read with: Understanding rent burden
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,474 | $1,676 | +$202 (+13.7%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,654 | $1,889 | +$235 (+14.2%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $2,040 | $2,328 | +$288 (+14.1%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,717 | $3,043 | +$326 (+12.0%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $3,023 | $3,371 | +$348 (+11.5%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Ocean 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 Ocean sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$2,328 Top 2% higher than 98% 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 Ocean compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other New Jersey counties
- Hudson
Hudson County
$2,458 1BR FMR / mo
- Bergen
Bergen County
$2,024 1BR FMR / mo
- Middlesex
Middlesex County
$1,978 1BR FMR / mo
- Ocean
Ocean County
$1,889 1BR FMR / mo
- Monmouth
Monmouth County
$1,889 1BR FMR / mo
- Essex
Essex County
$1,822 1BR FMR / mo
- Union
Union County
$1,822 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Ocean is highlighted. Nearby New Jersey counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Hudson County ($2,458), Bergen County ($2,024), Middlesex County ($1,978), Ocean County (this county) ($1,889), Monmouth County ($1,889), Essex County ($1,822), Union County ($1,822).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
Against a high local FMR of $1,889/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using New Jersey BLS wages?
| Occupation | NJ Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $149,990 | 15.1% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $132,400 | 17.1% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $102,730 | 22.1% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $101,340 | 22.4% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $89,030 | 25.5% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $77,150 | 29.4% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $73,090 | 31% | Stretched |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $64,720 | 35% | Stretched |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $62,790 | 36.1% | Stretched |
| Customer Service Representatives | $46,740 | 48.5% | Stretched |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,890 | 58.3% | Unaffordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $37,320 | 60.7% | Unaffordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $35,620 | 63.6% | Unaffordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $35,630 | 63.6% | Unaffordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $33,290 | 68.1% | Unaffordable |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Ocean County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Ocean (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 48.7% overall, from $1,270 to $1,889. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 20.9% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑14.2% | $1,676 | $1,889 | $2,328 |
| FY 2025 ↑7.0% | $1,474 | $1,654 | $2,040 |
| FY 2024 ↑20.9% | $1,385 | $1,546 | $1,916 |
| FY 2023 ↑4.0% | $1,146 | $1,279 | $1,602 |
| FY 2022 ↓4.7% | $1,092 | $1,230 | $1,558 |
| FY 2021 ↑1.7% | $1,126 | $1,291 | $1,652 |
| FY 2020 | $1,088 | $1,270 | $1,639 |
Part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area
Ocean County is a central county of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan statistical area, alongside 21 other metro-area counties.
Ocean County ranks #18 of 22 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Kings County ($2,655), Queens County ($2,655), New York County ($2,655), Bronx County ($2,655), Westchester County ($2,655), Richmond County ($2,655), Rockland County ($2,655), Putnam County ($2,655), Hudson County ($2,458), Suffolk County ($2,379), Nassau County ($2,379), Bergen County ($2,024), Passaic County ($2,024), Middlesex County ($1,978), Somerset County ($1,978), Hunterdon County ($1,978), Monmouth County ($1,889), Ocean County (this county) ($1,889), Essex County ($1,822), Union County ($1,822), Morris County ($1,822), Sussex County ($1,822).
Show all 22 counties in this metro area
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Ocean County, both outside New Jersey 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 NJ (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside NJ).
Nearby Counties in New Jersey
Largest counties by population in New Jersey
Showing the 8 largest of 20 other counties in New Jersey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Ocean County? ▼
How does Ocean County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Ocean County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Ocean County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Ocean County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Ocean County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Ocean County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Ocean County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Ocean County? ▼
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.
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.