County FMR · HUD FY2026

Williams County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Williams County, ND - 11% above the US average.

$1,068
1-bedroom FMR
$1,196
2-bedroom FMR
+4.1%
YoY change
+11%
vs US avg

The verdict

Williams is the 3rd most expensive of 53 counties in North Dakota by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,006 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#1,006
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#3
most expensive of 53 in North Dakota (2BR)
+34%
vs the state average
$42,720
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (13%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (42.7%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Williams County, ND. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Williams County, North Dakota at $1,068 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,196/mo and a studio is $1,042/mo. This is 11% higher than the national average of $959 and 34% above the North Dakota average of $795.

Rent increased4.1% from FY 2025 ($1,026), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $42,720/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 26.6% of the 6,546 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 North Dakota. Population: 39,076. Population grew 15.6% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing counties nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. That's faster than North Dakota's statewide growth of +3.6% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area WILLIAMS·COUNTY·ND·ND

Williams County, ND: $1,068/mo 1BR · #1006 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA ND
  • 1BR-FMR $1,068
  • 2BR-FMR $1,196
  • RANK-MID #1,006
  • YOY-UP +4.1%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +11%
  • VS-ST-HIGH +34% ND
  • INC-ROOM 14%
  • POP-SMALL 39K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Cass County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $961–$1,175
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Cass ($151 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $769 · US avg: $893
$1,042/mo
↑ 3.9% YoY +36% vs state +17% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $795 · US avg: $959
$1,068/mo
↑ 4.1% YoY +34% vs state +11% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $965 · US avg: $1,175
$1,196/mo
↑ 3.6% YoY +24% vs state +2% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,297 · US avg: $1,525
$1,578/mo
↓ 2.4% YoY +22% vs state +3% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,588 · US avg: $1,756
$1,745/mo
↓ 10.0% YoY +10% vs state -1% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $1,003
$1,042
+$39 (+3.9%)
1 Bedroom $1,026
$1,068
+$42 (+4.1%)
2 Bedroom $1,154
$1,196
+$42 (+3.6%)
3 Bedroom $1,617
$1,578
$-39 (-2.4%)
4 Bedroom $1,938
$1,745
$-193 (-10.0%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
13.9%
Affordable
Need $41,680/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
14.2%
Affordable
Need $42,720/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
15.9%
Affordable
Need $47,840/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
21%
Affordable
Need $63,120/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
23.2%
Affordable
Need $69,800/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%15.9%
Williams County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $90,224 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View North Dakota rent burden →

Where Williams sits among every US county

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

$1,196 Top 32% higher than 68% 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 Williams compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other North Dakota counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Williams is highlighted. Nearby North Dakota counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Williams County (this county) ($1,068), Burleigh County ($1,030), Morton County ($1,030), Ward County ($960), Cass County ($917), Stark County ($874), Grand Forks County ($868).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $1,068/mo compares to North Dakota salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation ND Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $98,550 13% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $93,290 13.7% Affordable
Registered Nurses $78,260 16.4% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $75,530 17% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $72,180 17.8% Affordable
Electricians $65,820 19.5% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $59,910 21.4% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $58,970 21.7% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $57,820 22.2% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $47,600 26.9% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $43,160 29.7% Affordable
Teaching Assistants $36,810 34.8% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $36,660 35% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $35,670 35.9% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $30,010 42.7% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (North Dakota) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Williams (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 53.7% overall, from $695 to $1,068. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +21.5% in FY 2023, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$600$700$800$900$1,000$1,100 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,068
Williams County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑4.1% $1,042 $1,068 $1,196
FY 2025 ↑2.3% $1,003 $1,026 $1,154
FY 2024 ↑6.8% $985 $1,003 $1,136
FY 2023 ↑21.5% $840 $939 $1,074
FY 2022 ↑11.4% $642 $773 $966
FY 2021 ↓0.1% $603 $694 $914
FY 2020 $592 $695 $909
Total change (6yr): +53.7%
Annualized: +7.4%/yr
1 BR: $695 → $1,068

Part of the Williston, ND Micro Area

Williams County is a central county of the Williston, ND micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Williams County, both outside North Dakota 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 ND (FY2026).

Rowan County
NC · 2 BR $1,196/mo
Medina County
TX · 2 BR $1,196/mo
Lycoming County
PA · 2 BR $1,195/mo
Columbia County
WI · 2 BR $1,195/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Grady County
OK · 15.9% of income · 2 BR $1,004/mo
Ness County
KS · 15.9% of income · 2 BR $877/mo
Goodhue County
MN · 15.9% of income · 2 BR $1,095/mo
Brown County
SD · 15.9% of income · 2 BR $929/mo

Nearby Counties in North Dakota

Largest counties by population in North Dakota

Showing the 8 largest of 52 other counties in North Dakota.

Cass County
1 BR: $917/mo Pop: 186,328
Burleigh County
1 BR: $1,030/mo Pop: 98,443
Grand Forks County
1 BR: $868/mo Pop: 72,927
Ward County
1 BR: $960/mo Pop: 69,532
Morton County
1 BR: $1,030/mo Pop: 33,192
Stark County
1 BR: $874/mo Pop: 32,989
Stutsman County
1 BR: $680/mo Pop: 21,609
Richland County
1 BR: $665/mo Pop: 16,548
View all counties in North Dakota →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Williams County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Williams County is $1,068 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,196 and a studio is $1,042.
How does Williams County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Williams County is 11% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,068 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Williams County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Williams County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,196 ranks #1,006 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 Williams County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $42,720 ($3,560/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Williams County.
Is rent going up or down in Williams County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Williams County increased by 4.1% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,026 to $1,068.
Which jobs can afford rent in Williams County? ▼
Based on North Dakota BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,068/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Williams County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Williams County went from $695 in FY 2020 to $1,068 in FY 2026, a total change of +53.7% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Williams County? ▼
In Williams County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,068/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 Williams County? ▼
For Williams County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,068/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.