County FMR · HUD FY2026
Sussex County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Sussex County, NJ - 90% above the US average.
- $1,822
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $2,205
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +3.1%
- YoY change
- +90%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Sussex is the 10th most expensive of 21 counties in New Jersey by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #94 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #94
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #10
- most expensive of 21 in New Jersey (2BR)
- +4%
- vs the state average
- $72,880
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (14.6%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (65.7%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Sussex County, NJ. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Sussex County, New Jersey at $1,822 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $2,205/mo and a studio is $1,612/mo. This is 90% higher than the national average of $959 and 4% above the New Jersey average of $1,759.
Rent increased3.1% from FY 2025 ($1,768), outpacing inflation. Clearing the 30% rule here takes $72,880/year, a high bar relative to most US counties.
Observed renter burden: 49.3% of the 8,650 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 6.6%, 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 4.6% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in New Jersey. Population: 144,808. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.0%, Census ACS). That's slower than New Jersey's statewide growth of +4.3% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area SUSSEX·COUNTY·NJ·NJ
Sussex County, NJ: $1,822/mo 1BR · #94 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA NJ
- 1BR-FMR $1,822
- 2BR-FMR $2,205
- RANK-UPPER #94
- YOY-UP +3.1%
- VSUS-HIGH +90%
- VS-ST-NEAR +4% NJ
- INC-ROOM 19%
- POP-MID 145K
- PHOTO-NEAR Bergen County
- VOUCH-90-110 $1,640–$2,004
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Bergen ($202 1BR gap)
Read with: Understanding rent burden
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,551 | $1,612 | +$61 (+3.9%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,768 | $1,822 | +$54 (+3.1%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $2,140 | $2,205 | +$65 (+3.0%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,695 | $2,761 | +$66 (+2.4%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $3,065 | $3,137 | +$72 (+2.3%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Sussex 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 Sussex sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$2,205 Top 3% higher than 97% 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 Sussex 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
- Monmouth
Monmouth County
$1,889 1BR FMR / mo
- Ocean
Ocean County
$1,889 1BR FMR / mo
- Sussex
Sussex County
$1,822 1BR FMR / mo
- Essex
Essex County
$1,822 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Sussex 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), Monmouth County ($1,889), Ocean County ($1,889), Sussex County (this county) ($1,822), Essex County ($1,822).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
Against a high local FMR of $1,822/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 | 14.6% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $132,400 | 16.5% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $102,730 | 21.3% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $101,340 | 21.6% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $89,030 | 24.6% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $77,150 | 28.3% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $73,090 | 29.9% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $64,720 | 33.8% | Stretched |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $62,790 | 34.8% | Stretched |
| Customer Service Representatives | $46,740 | 46.8% | Stretched |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,890 | 56.2% | Unaffordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $37,320 | 58.6% | Unaffordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $35,620 | 61.4% | Unaffordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $35,630 | 61.4% | Unaffordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $33,290 | 65.7% | Unaffordable |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Sussex County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Sussex (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 49.6% overall, from $1,218 to $1,822. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 18.8% (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 ↑3.1% | $1,612 | $1,822 | $2,205 |
| FY 2025 ↑11.2% | $1,551 | $1,768 | $2,140 |
| FY 2024 ↑18.8% | $1,379 | $1,590 | $1,916 |
| FY 2023 ↑9.4% | $1,129 | $1,338 | $1,606 |
| FY 2022 ↓9.9% | $1,017 | $1,223 | $1,479 |
| FY 2021 ↑11.5% | $1,129 | $1,358 | $1,643 |
| FY 2020 | $1,034 | $1,218 | $1,483 |
Part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area
Sussex County is a outlying county of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan statistical area, alongside 21 other metro-area counties.
Sussex County ranks #22 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 ($1,889), Essex County ($1,822), Union County ($1,822), Morris County ($1,822), Sussex County (this county) ($1,822).
Show all 22 counties in this metro area
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Sussex 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 Sussex County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Sussex County is $1,822 per month. A 2-bedroom is $2,205 and a studio is $1,612.
How does Sussex County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Sussex County is 90% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,822 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Sussex County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Sussex County's 2-bedroom FMR of $2,205 ranks #94 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 Sussex County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $72,880 ($6,073/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Sussex County.
Is rent going up or down in Sussex County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Sussex County increased by 3.1% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,768 to $1,822.
Which jobs can afford rent in Sussex County?
Based on New Jersey BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like General and Operations Managers, Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,822/mo. 7 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Sussex County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Sussex County went from $1,218 in FY 2020 to $1,822 in FY 2026, a total change of +49.6% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Sussex County?
In Sussex County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,822/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 Sussex County?
For Sussex County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,822/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Sussex County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 6.6%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
What is the unemployment rate in Sussex County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 4.6% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Sussex'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 $1,822 implies about $72,880/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- New Jersey counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Bergen
- See where Sussex 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.