County FMR · HUD FY2026
Orange County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Orange County, NC - 57% above the US average.
- $1,507
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,711
- 2-bedroom FMR
- -7.9%
- YoY change
- +57%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Orange is the 5th most expensive of 100 counties in North Carolina by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #283 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has fallen 7.9% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.
- #283
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #5
- most expensive of 100 in North Carolina (2BR)
- +54%
- vs the state average
- $60,280
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (13.8%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (64.1%); only 4 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 Orange County, NC. Verify with HUD →
Orange County, North Carolina carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,507 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,711/mo and a studio is $1,417/mo. That's 57% above the national benchmark of $959 and 54% above the North Carolina average of $981.
Rent decreased7.9% from FY 2025 ($1,637), declining against the trend. Clearing the 30% rule here takes $60,280/year, a high bar relative to most US counties.
Observed renter burden: 51.0% of the 20,187 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 5.9%, 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: 145,919. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.0%, Census ACS). That's in line with North Carolina's statewide growth of +4.2% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area ORANGE·COUNTY·NC·NC
Orange County, NC: $1,507/mo 1BR · #283 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA NC
- 1BR-FMR $1,507
- 2BR-FMR $1,711
- RANK-UPPER #283
- YOY-DOWN -7.9%
- VSUS-HIGH +57%
- VS-ST-HIGH +54% NC
- INC-MID 20%
- POP-MID 146K
- PHOTO-NEAR Wake County
- VOUCH-90-110 $1,356–$1,658
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Wake ($89 1BR gap)
Read with: Understanding rent burden
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,548 | $1,417 | $-131 (-8.5%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,637 | $1,507 | $-130 (-7.9%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,872 | $1,711 | $-161 (-8.6%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,334 | $2,117 | $-217 (-9.3%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,807 | $2,527 | $-280 (-10.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Orange 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 Orange sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$1,711 Top 9% higher than 91% 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 Orange 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
- Orange
Orange County
$1,507 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
What this shows Orange is highlighted. Nearby North Carolina counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Wake County ($1,596), Mecklenburg County ($1,538), Orange County (this county) ($1,507), Durham County ($1,507), Guilford County ($1,213), Cumberland County ($1,113), Forsyth County ($1,082).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
Against a high local FMR of $1,507/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using North Carolina BLS wages?
| Occupation | NC Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $131,000 | 13.8% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $99,190 | 18.2% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $81,860 | 22.1% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $80,490 | 22.5% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $58,030 | 31.2% | Stretched |
| Electricians | $54,070 | 33.4% | Stretched |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $49,580 | 36.5% | Stretched |
| Elementary School Teachers | $49,400 | 36.6% | Stretched |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $49,390 | 36.6% | Stretched |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $39,870 | 45.4% | Stretched |
| Customer Service Representatives | $39,530 | 45.7% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $32,630 | 55.4% | Unaffordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $30,090 | 60.1% | Unaffordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $28,760 | 62.9% | Unaffordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $28,230 | 64.1% | Unaffordable |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Orange County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Orange (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 61.3% overall, from $934 to $1,507. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 25.0% (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 ↓7.9% | $1,417 | $1,507 | $1,711 |
| FY 2025 ↑15.4% | $1,548 | $1,637 | $1,872 |
| FY 2024 ↑25.0% | $1,385 | $1,418 | $1,631 |
| FY 2023 ↑10.1% | $1,128 | $1,134 | $1,315 |
| FY 2022 ↑5.7% | $1,024 | $1,030 | $1,199 |
| FY 2021 ↑4.3% | $972 | $974 | $1,134 |
| FY 2020 | $919 | $934 | $1,088 |
Part of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metro Area
Orange County is a central county of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metropolitan statistical area, alongside 3 other metro-area counties.
Orange County ranks #3 of 4 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Durham County ($1,507), Chatham County ($1,507), Orange County (this county) ($1,507), Person County ($744).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Orange 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 Orange County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Orange County is $1,507 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,711 and a studio is $1,417.
How does Orange County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Orange County is 57% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,507 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Orange County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Orange County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,711 ranks #283 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the highest-rent tenth of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Orange County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $60,280 ($5,023/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Orange County.
Is rent going up or down in Orange County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Orange County decreased by 7.9% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,637 to $1,507.
Which jobs can afford rent in Orange 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 $1,507/mo. 4 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Orange County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Orange County went from $934 in FY 2020 to $1,507 in FY 2026, a total change of +61.3% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Orange County?
In Orange County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,507/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 Orange County?
For Orange County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,507/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Orange County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.9%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
What is the unemployment rate in Orange 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 Orange'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 $1,507 implies about $60,280/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 Orange 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.