Metro FMR · CBSA 15540 · HUD FY2026

Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA metro area - 72% above the US average.

$1,651
1-bedroom FMR
$2,140
2-bedroom FMR
+11.9%
YoY change
+72%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA area rents at $2,140 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 82% above the US average, higher than 94% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#23
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+82%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$85,600
income to afford it (30% rule)
+11.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Burlington-South Burlington: #23 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $90,911, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 21.8% 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 Burlington-South Burlington in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 3,980 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.9%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.2%, 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 $1,531/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $2,140 runs 39.8% 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.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#23 of 387 HUD-tracked metros).

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: 50.4% of the 30,269 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

$1,497/mo

19.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,651/mo

21.8% of median income

2 Bedroom

$2,140/mo

28.2% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,745/mo

36.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,833/mo

37.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·15540

Burlington-South Burlington: $1,651/mo 1BR · #23 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 15540

  • CBSA 15540
  • 1BR-FMR $1,651
  • 2BR-FMR $2,140
  • RANK-UPPER #23
  • YOY-SURGE +11.9%
  • VSUS-HIGH +72%
  • IN-ST-SOLO Solo metro
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-SMALL 4K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Calvert County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,486–$1,816
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Calvert County ($200 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Burlington-South Burlington sits among every US metro

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

$2,140 Top 6% higher than 94% 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%). Below this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #23 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 82% above the national 2-bedroom average. 8 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 15540

Counties inside Burlington-South Burlington

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 15540, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($2,140–$2,140, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Grand Isle County 2BR $2,140 · 2K Franklin County 2BR $2,140 · 1K Chittenden County 2BR $2,140 · 1K

Burlington-South Burlington studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #23 nationally

1BR $1,651 (+72% vs US, +11.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 15540.

Studio
$1,497
US avg $893
↑8.5% YoY +68% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,651
US avg $959
↑11.9% YoY +72% vs US
2 Bedroom
$2,140
US avg $1,175
↑10.5% YoY +82% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,745
US avg $1,525
↑10.2% YoY +80% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,833
US avg $1,756
↑10.4% YoY +61% vs US

How Burlington-South Burlington compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs metros with similar rent levels

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Burlington-South Burlington highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Burlington-South Burlington: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside VT

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Bozeman
MT · 2 BR $2,154/mo
Boulder
CO · 2 BR $2,124/mo
Vallejo
CA · 2 BR $2,178/mo
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
CO · 2 BR $2,089/mo

Burden % · outside VT

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

Lakeland-Winter Haven
FL · 28.2% of income · 2 BR $1,497/mo
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas
NV · 28.2% of income · 2 BR $1,735/mo
Broadwater County
MT · 28.3% of income · 2 BR $1,748/mo
Ocala
FL · 28.1% of income · 2 BR $1,373/mo

Burlington-South Burlington: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA is $1,651 per month. A 2-bedroom is $2,140 and a studio is $1,497.
How does Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA metro area is 72% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,651 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Burlington-South Burlington rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,140 ranks #23 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Burlington-South Burlington metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 15540, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $2,140–$2,140 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Burlington-South Burlington's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.9%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.2%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Burlington-South Burlington vs Calvert County →

What this means for renters

Treat Burlington-South Burlington'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 $1,651 implies about $66,040/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Burlington-South Burlington stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Calvert County
  • See where Burlington-South Burlington 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 $1,651/mo · 1BR VT

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.