County FMR · HUD FY2026

Seneca County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Seneca County, NY - 4% below the US average.

$921
1-bedroom FMR
$1,169
2-bedroom FMR
+10.3%
YoY change
-4%
vs US avg

The verdict

Seneca is the 19th cheapest of 62 counties in New York by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,069 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 10.3% since FY 2025, a sharp move relative to most counties.

#1,069
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#19
cheapest of 62 in New York (2BR)
-30%
vs the state average
$36,840
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (6.9%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (31.3%); 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 Seneca County, NY. Verify with HUD →

The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Seneca County, New York is $921 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $1,169/mo and a studio is $879/mo. This is 4% lower than the national average of $959 and 30% below the New York average of $1,315.

Rent increased10.3% from FY 2025 ($835), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $36,840/year for a 1-bedroom.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in New York. Population: 33,651. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-4.3%, Census ACS). That's slower than New York's statewide growth of +1.3% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area SENECA·COUNTY·NY·NY

Seneca County, NY: $921/mo 1BR · #1069 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA NY
  • 1BR-FMR $921
  • 2BR-FMR $1,169
  • RANK-MID #1,069
  • YOY-SURGE +10.3%
  • VSUS-NEAR -4%
  • VS-ST-LOW -30% NY
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-SMALL 34K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Kings County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $829–$1,013
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Kings ($1,734 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,215 · US avg: $893
$879/mo
↑ 7.2% YoY -28% vs state -2% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,315 · US avg: $959
$921/mo
↑ 10.3% YoY -30% vs state -4% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,579 · US avg: $1,175
$1,169/mo
↑ 8.7% YoY -26% vs state -1% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,976 · US avg: $1,525
$1,550/mo
↑ 10.0% YoY -22% vs state +2% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,193 · US avg: $1,756
$1,961/mo
↑ 8.6% YoY -11% vs state +12% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $820
$879
+$59 (+7.2%)
1 Bedroom $835
$921
+$86 (+10.3%)
2 Bedroom $1,075
$1,169
+$94 (+8.7%)
3 Bedroom $1,409
$1,550
+$141 (+10.0%)
4 Bedroom $1,805
$1,961
+$156 (+8.6%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
16%
Affordable
Need $35,160/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
16.7%
Affordable
Need $36,840/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
21.3%
Affordable
Need $46,760/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
28.2%
Affordable
Need $62,000/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
35.7%
Burdened
Need $78,440/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%21.3%
Seneca County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $66,007 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View New York rent burden →

Where Seneca sits among every US county

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

$1,169 Top 34% higher than 66% 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 Seneca compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other New York counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Seneca is highlighted. Nearby New York counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Kings County ($2,655), Queens County ($2,655), New York County ($2,655), Bronx County ($2,655), Suffolk County ($2,379), Nassau County ($2,379), Seneca County (this county) ($921).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $921/mo compares to New York salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation NY Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $161,260 6.9% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $129,990 8.5% Affordable
Registered Nurses $105,600 10.5% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $101,780 10.9% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $93,050 11.9% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $82,480 13.4% Affordable
Electricians $77,460 14.3% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $66,390 16.6% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,520 18.3% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $47,840 23.1% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $40,840 27.1% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $39,920 27.7% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $37,020 29.9% Affordable
Teaching Assistants $36,600 30.2% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $35,270 31.3% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (New York) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Seneca (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 34.5% overall, from $685 to $921. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 10.3% (FY 2026).

$600$700$800$900$1,000 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $921
Seneca County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑10.3% $879 $921 $1,169
FY 2025 ↑8.4% $820 $835 $1,075
FY 2024 ↑5.2% $765 $770 $991
FY 2023 ↑6.7% $727 $732 $926
FY 2022 ↓2.1% $682 $686 $851
FY 2021 ↑2.3% $697 $701 $865
FY 2020 $681 $685 $828
Total change (6yr): +34.5%
Annualized: +5.1%/yr
1 BR: $685 → $921

Part of the Seneca Falls, NY Micro Area

Seneca County is a central county of the Seneca Falls, NY micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Seneca County, both outside New York 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 NY (FY2026).

Tuscaloosa County
AL · 2 BR $1,169/mo
Whitman County
WA · 2 BR $1,169/mo
Hale County
AL · 2 BR $1,169/mo
Montrose County
CO · 2 BR $1,168/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Crawford County
MI · 21.3% of income · 2 BR $1,038/mo
Marengo County
AL · 21.3% of income · 2 BR $783/mo
Lawrence County
IL · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $946/mo
Gregory County
SD · 21.3% of income · 2 BR $929/mo

Nearby Counties in New York

Largest counties by population in New York

Showing the 8 largest of 61 other counties in New York.

Kings County
1 BR: $2,655/mo Pop: 2,679,620
Queens County
1 BR: $2,655/mo Pop: 2,360,826
New York County
1 BR: $2,655/mo Pop: 1,645,867
Suffolk County
1 BR: $2,379/mo Pop: 1,524,486
Bronx County
1 BR: $2,655/mo Pop: 1,443,229
Nassau County
1 BR: $2,379/mo Pop: 1,389,160
Westchester County
1 BR: $2,655/mo Pop: 997,904
Erie County
1 BR: $1,139/mo Pop: 951,232
View all counties in New York →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Seneca County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Seneca County is $921 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,169 and a studio is $879.
How does Seneca County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Seneca County is 4% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $921 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Seneca County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Seneca County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,169 ranks #1,069 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 Seneca County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $36,840 ($3,070/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Seneca County.
Is rent going up or down in Seneca County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Seneca County increased by 10.3% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $835 to $921.
Which jobs can afford rent in Seneca County? ▼
Based on New York BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $921/mo. 13 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Seneca County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Seneca County went from $685 in FY 2020 to $921 in FY 2026, a total change of +34.5% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Seneca County? ▼
In Seneca County, the FY 2026 FMR of $921/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 Seneca County? ▼
For Seneca County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($921/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.