County FMR · HUD FY2026

Ulster County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Ulster County, NY - 45% above the US average.

$1,386
1-bedroom FMR
$1,818
2-bedroom FMR
+1.1%
YoY change
+45%
vs US avg

The verdict

Ulster is the 13th most expensive of 62 counties in New York by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #220 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#220
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#13
most expensive of 62 in New York (2BR)
+5%
vs the state average
$55,440
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (47.2%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Ulster County, NY. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Ulster County, New York at $1,386 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,818/mo and a studio is $1,303/mo. This is 45% higher than the national average of $959 and 5% above the New York average of $1,315.

Rent increased1.1% from FY 2025 ($1,371), roughly tracking inflation. A household needs about $55,440/year to stay under the 30% rent-to-income line.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in New York. Population: 182,153. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.6%, Census ACS). That's in line with New York's statewide growth of +1.3% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area ULSTER·COUNTY·NY·NY

Ulster County, NY: $1,386/mo 1BR · #220 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA NY
  • 1BR-FMR $1,386
  • 2BR-FMR $1,818
  • RANK-UPPER #220
  • YOY-FLAT +1.1%
  • VSUS-HIGH +45%
  • VS-ST-NEAR +5% NY
  • INC-MID 20%
  • POP-MID 182K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Kings County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,247–$1,525
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Kings ($1,269 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,215 · US avg: $893
$1,303/mo
↓ 4.9% YoY +7% vs state +46% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,315 · US avg: $959
$1,386/mo
↑ 1.1% YoY +5% vs state +45% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,579 · US avg: $1,175
$1,818/mo
↑ 1.1% YoY +15% vs state +55% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,976 · US avg: $1,525
$2,245/mo
↓ 1.4% YoY +14% vs state +47% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,193 · US avg: $1,756
$2,407/mo
↓ 2.4% YoY +10% vs state +37% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $1,370
$1,303
$-67 (-4.9%)
1 Bedroom $1,371
$1,386
+$15 (+1.1%)
2 Bedroom $1,799
$1,818
+$19 (+1.1%)
3 Bedroom $2,278
$2,245
$-33 (-1.4%)
4 Bedroom $2,466
$2,407
$-59 (-2.4%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
19.1%
Affordable
Need $52,120/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
20.3%
Affordable
Need $55,440/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
26.7%
Affordable
Need $72,720/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
32.9%
Burdened
Need $89,800/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
35.3%
Burdened
Need $96,280/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%26.7%
Ulster County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $81,804 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View New York rent burden →

Where Ulster sits among every US county

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

$1,818 Top 7% higher than 93% 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%). Below this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Ulster compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other New York counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Ulster 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), Ulster County (this county) ($1,386).

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 $1,386/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using New York BLS wages?

Occupation NY Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $161,260 10.3% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $129,990 12.8% Affordable
Registered Nurses $105,600 15.8% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $101,780 16.3% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $93,050 17.9% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $82,480 20.2% Affordable
Electricians $77,460 21.5% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $66,390 25.1% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,520 27.5% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $47,840 34.8% Stretched
Pharmacy Technicians $40,840 40.7% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $39,920 41.7% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $37,020 44.9% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $36,600 45.4% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $35,270 47.2% 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 Ulster County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Ulster (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 43.3% overall, from $967 to $1,386. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +13.2% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$900$1,000$1,100$1,200$1,300$1,400$1,500 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,386
Ulster County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑1.1% $1,303 $1,386 $1,818
FY 2025 ↑4.8% $1,370 $1,371 $1,799
FY 2024 ↑13.2% $1,284 $1,308 $1,702
FY 2023 ↑9.0% $1,089 $1,155 $1,498
FY 2022 ↑3.9% $938 $1,060 $1,364
FY 2021 ↑5.5% $860 $1,020 $1,296
FY 2020 $792 $967 $1,215
Total change (6yr): +43.3%
Annualized: +6.2%/yr
1 BR: $967 → $1,386

Part of the Kingston, NY Metro Area

Ulster County is a central county of the Kingston, NY metropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Ulster 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).

Fulton County
GA · 2 BR $1,820/mo
Gwinnett County
GA · 2 BR $1,820/mo
Cobb County
GA · 2 BR $1,820/mo
DeKalb County
GA · 2 BR $1,820/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Charlotte County
FL · 26.7% of income · 2 BR $1,470/mo
Mariposa County
CA · 26.7% of income · 2 BR $1,454/mo
Treutlen County
GA · 26.7% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Bradley County
AR · 26.7% of income · 2 BR $880/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 Ulster County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Ulster County is $1,386 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,818 and a studio is $1,303.
How does Ulster County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Ulster County is 45% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,386 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Ulster County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Ulster County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,818 ranks #220 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 Ulster County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $55,440 ($4,620/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Ulster County.
Is rent going up or down in Ulster County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Ulster County increased by 1.1% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,371 to $1,386.
Which jobs can afford rent in Ulster 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 $1,386/mo. 9 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Ulster County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Ulster County went from $967 in FY 2020 to $1,386 in FY 2026, a total change of +43.3% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Ulster County? ▼
In Ulster County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,386/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 Ulster County? ▼
For Ulster County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,386/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.