Metro FMR · CBSA 48900 · HUD FY2026

Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 36% above the US average.

$1,301
1-bedroom FMR
$1,426
2-bedroom FMR
-8.8%
YoY change
+36%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,426 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 21% above the US average, higher than 64% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#139
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+21%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$57,040
income to afford it (30% rule)
-8.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Brunswick County: #139 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $73,687, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 21.2% 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 Brunswick County in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 429,447 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 55.5% 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 11.0%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,313/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,426 runs 8.6% 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: 48.3% of the 55,037 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

$1,242/mo

20.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,301/mo

21.2% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,426/mo

23.2% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,983/mo

32.3% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,392/mo

39.0% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·48900

Brunswick County: $1,301/mo 1BR · #139 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 48900

  • CBSA 48900
  • 1BR-FMR $1,301
  • 2BR-FMR $1,426
  • RANK-MID #139
  • YOY-DOWN -8.8%
  • VSUS-HIGH +36%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #13 NC
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MAJOR 429K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,171–$1,431
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anson County ($434 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Brunswick County sits among every US metro

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

$1,426 Top 36% higher than 64% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #139 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 21% above the national 2-bedroom average. 51 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 48900

Counties inside Brunswick County

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 48900, but county-level schedules inside Brunswick County still diverge: 3 counties range from $1,166 (2BR in Pender) to $1,659 (New Hanover), a 42% spread. New Hanover is the largest county by population.

New Hanover County 2BR $1,659 · 228K Brunswick County 2BR $1,426 · 140K Pender County 2BR $1,166 · 62K

Brunswick County studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #139 nationally

1BR $1,301 (+36% vs US, -8.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 48900.

Studio
$1,242
US avg $893
↑14.7% YoY +39% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,301
US avg $959
↓8.8% YoY +36% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,426
US avg $1,175
↓9.7% YoY +21% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,983
US avg $1,525
↓5.0% YoY +30% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,392
US avg $1,756
↓3.7% YoY +36% vs US

How Brunswick County compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NC metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Brunswick County highlighted among 4 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Brunswick County: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside NC

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Columbus
OH · 2 BR $1,430/mo
Billings
MT · 2 BR $1,417/mo
Columbus
IN · 2 BR $1,415/mo
Detroit-Warren-Livonia
MI · 2 BR $1,411/mo

Burden % · outside NC

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

State College
PA · 23.2% of income · 2 BR $1,406/mo
Great Falls
MT · 23.3% of income · 2 BR $1,284/mo
Kankakee
IL · 23.3% of income · 2 BR $1,326/mo
Columbia
SC · 23.1% of income · 2 BR $1,276/mo

Brunswick County: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,301 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,426 and a studio is $1,242.
How does Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 36% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,301 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Brunswick County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,426 ranks #139 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Brunswick County metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 48900, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,166–$1,659 for a 2-bedroom (42% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Brunswick County's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 55.5% 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 11.0%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

Compare Brunswick County vs Anson County →

What this means for renters

Treat Brunswick 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 $1,301 implies about $52,040/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Brunswick County stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Anson County
  • See where Brunswick 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 3 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 $1,301/mo · 1BR NC

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.