Metro FMR · CBSA 11540 · HUD FY2026

Appleton, WI MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Appleton, WI MSA metro area - 0% above the US average.

$960
1-bedroom FMR
$1,236
2-bedroom FMR
+10.9%
YoY change
+0%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Appleton, WI MSA area rents at $1,236 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 5% above the US average, lower than 59% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#160
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+5%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$49,440
income to afford it (30% rule)
+10.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Appleton: #160 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $83,919, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 13.7% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Appleton in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 242,972 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.1%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.7%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $999/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,236 runs 23.7% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 33.4% of the 25,881 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$858/mo

12.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$960/mo

13.7% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,236/mo

17.7% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,701/mo

24.3% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,776/mo

25.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·11540

Appleton: $960/mo 1BR · #160 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 11540

  • CBSA 11540
  • 1BR-FMR $960
  • 2BR-FMR $1,236
  • RANK-MID #160
  • YOY-SURGE +10.9%
  • VSUS-NEAR +0%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #9 WI
  • INC-ROOM 14%
  • POP-MID 243K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Columbia County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $864–$1,056
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Columbia County ($49 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Appleton sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,236 higher than 41% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. 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.

What this shows #160 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 5% above the national 2-bedroom average. 94 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 11540

Counties inside Appleton

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 11540, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,236–$1,236, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Outagamie County 2BR $1,236 · 191K Calumet County 2BR $1,236 · 52K

Appleton studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #160 most affordable

1BR $960 (+0% vs US, +10.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 11540.

Studio
$858
US avg $893
↑11.6% YoY -4% vs US
1 Bedroom
$960
US avg $959
↑10.9% YoY +0% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,236
US avg $1,175
↑11.8% YoY +5% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,701
US avg $1,525
↑11.3% YoY +12% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,776
US avg $1,756
↑13.6% YoY +1% vs US

How Appleton compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other WI metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Appleton highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Appleton: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Appleton with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside WI (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside WI

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Muskegon-Norton Shores
MI · 2 BR $1,236/mo
Killeen-Temple
TX · 2 BR $1,233/mo
Cleveland
TN · 2 BR $1,233/mo
Duluth
MN · 2 BR $1,232/mo

Burden % · outside WI

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Fargo
ND · 17.7% of income · 2 BR $1,112/mo
Cape Girardeau
MO · 17.7% of income · 2 BR $992/mo
Atascosa County
TX · 17.7% of income · 2 BR $1,098/mo
Peoria
IL · 17.6% of income · 2 BR $1,039/mo

Appleton: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Appleton, WI MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Appleton, WI MSA is $960 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,236 and a studio is $858.
How does Appleton, WI MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Appleton, WI MSA metro area is 0% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $960 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Appleton rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,236 ranks #160 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Appleton metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 11540, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,236–$1,236 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Appleton's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.1%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.7%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Appleton vs Columbia County →

What this means for renters

Treat Appleton's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 2 counties; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $960/mo · 1BR WI

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.