Metro FMR · CBSA 19740 · HUD FY2026

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA metro area - 83% above the US average.

$1,754
1-bedroom FMR
$2,089
2-bedroom FMR
-2.0%
YoY change
+83%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA area rents at $2,089 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 78% above the US average, higher than 93% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#27
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+78%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$83,560
income to afford it (30% rule)
-2.0%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Denver-Aurora-Centennial: #27 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $102,339, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 20.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Denver-Aurora-Centennial in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 2,959,386 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.5%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.9%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,805/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $2,089 runs 15.7% 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.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#27 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: 49.4% of the 429,185 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

$1,643/mo

19.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,754/mo

20.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$2,089/mo

24.5% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,734/mo

32.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$3,049/mo

35.8% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·19740

Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $1,754/mo 1BR · #27 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 19740

  • CBSA 19740
  • 1BR-FMR $1,754
  • 2BR-FMR $2,089
  • RANK-UPPER #27
  • YOY-FLAT -2.0%
  • VSUS-HIGH +83%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #6 CO
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MEGA 3.0M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Boulder
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,579–$1,929
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Boulder ($41 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Denver-Aurora-Centennial sits among every US metro

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

$2,089 Top 7% higher than 93% 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 #27 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 78% 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 19740

Counties inside Denver-Aurora-Centennial

Across 10 HUD counties in CBSA 19740, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($2,089–$2,089, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Denver County 2BR $2,089 · 711K Arapahoe County 2BR $2,089 · 654K Jefferson County 2BR $2,089 · 581K Adams County 2BR $2,089 · 520K Douglas County 2BR $2,089 · 360K Broomfield County 2BR $2,089 · 74K

Showing the 6 largest of 10 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Denver-Aurora-Centennial studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #27 nationally

1BR $1,754 (+83% vs US, -2.0% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 19740.

Studio
$1,643
US avg $893
↑0.2% YoY +84% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,754
US avg $959
↓2.0% YoY +83% vs US
2 Bedroom
$2,089
US avg $1,175
↓2.4% YoY +78% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,734
US avg $1,525
↓2.1% YoY +79% vs US
4 Bedroom
$3,049
US avg $1,756
↓2.5% YoY +74% vs US

How Denver-Aurora-Centennial compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other CO metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Denver-Aurora-Centennial highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Denver-Aurora-Centennial: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Denver-Aurora-Centennial with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside CO (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside CO

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Calvert County
MD · 2 BR $2,083/mo
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard
WA · 2 BR $2,031/mo
Bozeman
MT · 2 BR $2,154/mo
Vallejo
CA · 2 BR $2,178/mo

Burden % · outside CO

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

Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
NY · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,979/mo
Brownsville-Harlingen
TX · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,047/mo
Albany
OR · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,500/mo
Darlington County
SC · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,098/mo

Denver-Aurora-Centennial: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA is $1,754 per month. A 2-bedroom is $2,089 and a studio is $1,643.
How does Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA metro area is 83% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,754 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Denver-Aurora-Centennial rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,089 ranks #27 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 19740, but 10 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $2,089–$2,089 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Denver-Aurora-Centennial's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.5%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.9%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Denver-Aurora-Centennial vs Boulder →

What this means for renters

Treat Denver-Aurora-Centennial'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 $1,754 implies about $70,160/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Denver-Aurora-Centennial stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Boulder
  • See where Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 10 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 $1,754/mo · 1BR CO

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.