County FMR · HUD FY2026

Salt Lake County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Salt Lake County, UT - 52% above the US average.

$1,456
1-bedroom FMR
$1,747
2-bedroom FMR
+0.2%
YoY change
+52%
vs US avg

The verdict

Salt Lake is the 3rd most expensive of 29 counties in Utah by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #252 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#252
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#3
most expensive of 29 in Utah (2BR)
+35%
vs the state average
$58,240
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (13.7%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (60.9%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Salt Lake County, UT. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Salt Lake County, Utah at $1,456 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,747/mo and a studio is $1,259/mo. This is 52% higher than the national average of $959 and 35% above the Utah average of $1,082.

Rent increased0.2% from FY 2025 ($1,453), roughly tracking inflation. Clearing the 30% rule here takes $58,240/year, a high bar relative to most US counties.

Observed renter burden: 45.6% of the 137,488 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 Utah. Population: 1,180,643. Population grew 5.7% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing counties nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. That's slower than Utah's statewide growth of +9.4% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area SALT·LAKE·COUNTY·UT·UT

Salt Lake County, UT: $1,456/mo 1BR · #252 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA UT
  • 1BR-FMR $1,456
  • 2BR-FMR $1,747
  • RANK-UPPER #252
  • YOY-FLAT +0.2%
  • VSUS-HIGH +52%
  • VS-ST-HIGH +35% UT
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MEGA 1.2M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Utah County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,310–$1,602
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Utah ($191 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $981 · US avg: $893
$1,259/mo
↑ 1.3% YoY +28% vs state +41% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,082 · US avg: $959
$1,456/mo
↑ 0.2% YoY +35% vs state +52% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,313 · US avg: $1,175
$1,747/mo
↓ 0.1% YoY +33% vs state +49% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,746 · US avg: $1,525
$2,333/mo
↓ 0.6% YoY +34% vs state +53% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,105 · US avg: $1,756
$2,666/mo
↓ 0.1% YoY +27% vs state +52% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $1,243
$1,259
+$16 (+1.3%)
1 Bedroom $1,453
$1,456
+$3 (+0.2%)
2 Bedroom $1,748
$1,747
$-1 (-0.1%)
3 Bedroom $2,348
$2,333
$-15 (-0.6%)
4 Bedroom $2,670
$2,666
$-4 (-0.1%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
16%
Affordable
Need $50,360/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
18.5%
Affordable
Need $58,240/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
22.1%
Affordable
Need $69,880/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
29.6%
Affordable
Need $93,320/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
33.8%
Burdened
Need $106,640/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%22.1%
Salt Lake County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $94,658 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Utah rent burden →

Where Salt Lake sits among every US county

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

$1,747 Top 8% higher than 92% 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%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Below this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Salt Lake compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Utah counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Salt Lake is highlighted. Nearby Utah counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Salt Lake County (this county) ($1,456), Davis County ($1,281), Weber County ($1,281), Utah County ($1,265), Washington County ($1,218), Cache County ($946), Tooele County ($946).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

Against a high local FMR of $1,456/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using Utah BLS wages?

Occupation UT Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $127,390 13.7% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $91,230 19.2% Affordable
Registered Nurses $82,270 21.2% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $77,210 22.6% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $75,100 23.3% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $61,710 28.3% Affordable
Electricians $61,430 28.4% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $59,580 29.3% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $55,630 31.4% Stretched
Pharmacy Technicians $46,760 37.4% Stretched
Customer Service Representatives $40,150 43.5% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $34,410 50.8% Unaffordable
Retail Salespersons $34,300 50.9% Unaffordable
Janitors & Cleaners $30,390 57.5% Unaffordable
Fast Food & Counter Workers $28,670 60.9% Unaffordable
Salaries: BLS OES (Utah) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Salt Lake (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 51.0% overall, from $964 to $1,456. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +13.1% in FY 2023, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$800$1,000$1,200$1,400$1,600 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,456
Salt Lake County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑0.2% $1,259 $1,456 $1,747
FY 2025 ↑8.6% $1,243 $1,453 $1,748
FY 2024 ↑6.4% $1,121 $1,338 $1,606
FY 2023 ↑13.1% $1,051 $1,258 $1,504
FY 2022 ↑11.1% $924 $1,112 $1,327
FY 2021 ↑3.8% $829 $1,001 $1,204
FY 2020 $790 $964 $1,176
Total change (6yr): +51.0%
Annualized: +7.1%/yr
1 BR: $964 → $1,456

Part of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT Metro Area

Salt Lake County is a central county of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metropolitan statistical area, alongside 1 other metro-area county.

Salt Lake County ranks #1 of 2 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Salt Lake County (this county) ($1,456), Tooele County ($946).

Salt Lake County (this county)
1 BR: $1,456/mo
Tooele County
1 BR: $946/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Salt Lake County, both outside Utah 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 UT (FY2026).

Sullivan County
NH · 2 BR $1,747/mo
Broadwater County
MT · 2 BR $1,748/mo
Worcester County
MA · 2 BR $1,749/mo
Wake County
NC · 2 BR $1,750/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Mellette County
SD · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $948/mo
Otero County
NM · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Buena Vista city
VA · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $1,005/mo
Franklin County
MS · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $842/mo

Nearby Counties in Utah

Largest counties by population in Utah

Showing the 8 largest of 28 other counties in Utah.

Utah County
1 BR: $1,265/mo Pop: 666,021
Davis County
1 BR: $1,281/mo Pop: 363,032
Weber County
1 BR: $1,281/mo Pop: 262,960
Washington County
1 BR: $1,218/mo Pop: 183,297
Cache County
1 BR: $946/mo Pop: 134,428
Tooele County
1 BR: $946/mo Pop: 74,032
Box Elder County
1 BR: $983/mo Pop: 58,291
Iron County
1 BR: $888/mo Pop: 58,068
View all counties in Utah →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Salt Lake County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Salt Lake County is $1,456 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,747 and a studio is $1,259.
How does Salt Lake County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Salt Lake County is 52% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,456 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Salt Lake County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Salt Lake County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,747 ranks #252 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 Salt Lake County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $58,240 ($4,853/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Salt Lake County.
Is rent going up or down in Salt Lake County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Salt Lake County increased by 0.2% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,453 to $1,456.
Which jobs can afford rent in Salt Lake County? ▼
Based on Utah BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,456/mo. 8 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Salt Lake County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Salt Lake County went from $964 in FY 2020 to $1,456 in FY 2026, a total change of +51.0% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Salt Lake County? ▼
In Salt Lake County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,456/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 Salt Lake County? ▼
For Salt Lake County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,456/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.