Metro FMR · CBSA 12580 · HUD FY2026

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA metro area - 58% above the US average.

$1,511
1-bedroom FMR
$1,857
2-bedroom FMR
-5.8%
YoY change
+58%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA area rents at $1,857 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 58% above the US average, higher than 88% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#46
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+58%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$74,280
income to afford it (30% rule)
-5.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: #46 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $97,300, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Baltimore-Columbia-Towson in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 2,840,005 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the upper-rent quarter 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: 48.6% of the 366,897 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

$1,362/mo

16.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,511/mo

18.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,857/mo

22.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,358/mo

29.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,611/mo

32.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·12580

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $1,511/mo 1BR · #46 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 12580

  • CBSA 12580
  • 1BR-FMR $1,511
  • 2BR-FMR $1,857
  • RANK-MID #46
  • YOY-DOWN -5.8%
  • VSUS-HIGH +58%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #3 MD
  • INC-ROOM 19%
  • POP-MEGA 2.8M
  • PHOTO-CLEAR Peer pending
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,360–$1,662
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Baltimore-Columbia-Towson sits among every US metro

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

$1,857 Top 12% higher than 88% 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%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Below this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Below this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). This entry sits in this band. $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.

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

CBSA 12580

Counties inside Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Across 7 HUD counties in CBSA 12580, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,857–$1,857, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Baltimore County 2BR $1,857 · 851K Anne Arundel County 2BR $1,857 · 588K Baltimore city 2BR $1,857 · 585K Howard County 2BR $1,857 · 332K Harford County 2BR $1,857 · 261K Carroll County 2BR $1,857 · 173K

Showing the 6 largest of 7 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #46 nationally

1BR $1,511 (+58% vs US, -5.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 12580.

Studio
$1,362
US avg $893
↓3.2% YoY +53% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,511
US avg $959
↓5.8% YoY +58% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,857
US avg $1,175
↓5.5% YoY +58% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,358
US avg $1,525
↓6.8% YoY +55% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,611
US avg $1,756
↓7.6% YoY +49% vs US

How Baltimore-Columbia-Towson compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MD metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Baltimore-Columbia-Towson highlighted among 3 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Baltimore-Columbia-Towson with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside MD (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside MD

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
TX · 2 BR $1,852/mo
Atlantic City-Hammonton
NJ · 2 BR $1,867/mo
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
AZ · 2 BR $1,839/mo
Charlottesville
VA · 2 BR $1,824/mo

Burden % · outside MD

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

Winchester
VA · 22.9% of income · 2 BR $1,573/mo
Rome
GA · 22.9% of income · 2 BR $1,192/mo
Indianapolis-Carmel
IN · 22.9% of income · 2 BR $1,473/mo
Buffalo-Cheektowaga
NY · 22.8% of income · 2 BR $1,343/mo

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA is $1,511 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,857 and a studio is $1,362.
How does Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA metro area is 58% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,511 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Baltimore-Columbia-Towson rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,857 ranks #46 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 12580, but 7 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,857–$1,857 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Baltimore-Columbia-Towson vs California-Lexington Park →

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 $1,511/mo · 1BR MD

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.