Metro FMR · CBSA 12020 · HUD FY2026

Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA metro area - 23% above the US average.

$1,183
1-bedroom FMR
$1,331
2-bedroom FMR
+7.0%
YoY change
+23%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA area rents at $1,331 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 13% above the US average, higher than 52% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#186
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+13%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$53,240
income to afford it (30% rule)
+7.0%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Athens-Clarke County: #186 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $62,897, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 22.6% of annual income. It remains below the 30% affordability guide, but is a material part of a median-income household's budget.

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

With 216,194 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 6.3% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents.

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 1.9%, 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 $1,144/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,331 runs 16.3% 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: 52.1% of the 38,158 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

$1,159/mo

22.1% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,183/mo

22.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,331/mo

25.4% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,734/mo

33.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,831/mo

34.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·12020

Athens-Clarke County: $1,183/mo 1BR · #186 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 12020

  • CBSA 12020
  • 1BR-FMR $1,183
  • 2BR-FMR $1,331
  • RANK-MID #186
  • YOY-SURGE +7.0%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +23%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #9 GA
  • INC-MID 23%
  • POP-MID 216K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Albany
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,065–$1,301
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Albany ($177 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Athens-Clarke County sits among every US metro

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

$1,331 higher than 52% 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 #186 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 13% 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 12020

Counties inside Athens-Clarke County

Across 4 HUD counties in CBSA 12020, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,331–$1,331, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Clarke County 2BR $1,331 · 129K Oconee County 2BR $1,331 · 42K Madison County 2BR $1,331 · 30K Oglethorpe County 2BR $1,331 · 15K

Athens-Clarke County studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #186 nationally

1BR $1,183 (+23% vs US, +7.0% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 12020.

Studio
$1,159
US avg $893
↑8.8% YoY +30% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,183
US avg $959
↑7.0% YoY +23% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,331
US avg $1,175
↑8.7% YoY +13% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,734
US avg $1,525
↑6.6% YoY +14% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,831
US avg $1,756
↑6.1% YoY +4% vs US

How Athens-Clarke County compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other GA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Athens-Clarke County highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Athens-Clarke County: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Athens-Clarke County with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside GA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside GA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

New Orleans-Metairie
LA · 2 BR $1,331/mo
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington
LA · 2 BR $1,331/mo
Greensboro-High Point
NC · 2 BR $1,330/mo
Barry County
MI · 2 BR $1,334/mo

Burden % · outside GA

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

Rochester
NY · 25.4% of income · 2 BR $1,573/mo
Durham-Chapel Hill
NC · 25.3% of income · 2 BR $1,711/mo
Visalia
CA · 25.5% of income · 2 BR $1,474/mo
Knoxville
TN · 25.3% of income · 2 BR $1,471/mo

Athens-Clarke County: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA is $1,183 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,331 and a studio is $1,159.
How does Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA metro area is 23% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,183 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Athens-Clarke County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,331 ranks #186 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Athens-Clarke County metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 12020, but 4 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,331–$1,331 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Athens-Clarke County's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 6.3% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 1.9%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Athens-Clarke County vs Albany →

What this means for renters

Treat Athens-Clarke County'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 $1,183 implies about $47,320/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Athens-Clarke County stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Albany
  • See where Athens-Clarke County ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

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 4 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 $1,183/mo · 1BR GA

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.