Metro FMR · CBSA 23420 · HUD FY2026

Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 41% above the US average.

$1,355
1-bedroom FMR
$1,664
2-bedroom FMR
+11.3%
YoY change
+41%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,664 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 42% above the US average, higher than 77% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#89
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+42%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$66,560
income to afford it (30% rule)
+11.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Fresno: #89 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $71,897, 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 Fresno in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 1,165,523 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 19.7% 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 3.1%, 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 $1,301/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,664 runs 27.9% 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 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: 51.2% of the 158,975 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

$1,347/mo

22.5% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,355/mo

22.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,664/mo

27.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,314/mo

38.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,660/mo

44.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·23420

Fresno: $1,355/mo 1BR · #89 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 23420

  • CBSA 23420
  • 1BR-FMR $1,355
  • 2BR-FMR $1,664
  • RANK-MID #89
  • YOY-SURGE +11.3%
  • VSUS-HIGH +41%
  • IN-ST-LOW #9 CA
  • INC-MID 23%
  • POP-MEGA 1.2M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bakersfield-Delano
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,220–$1,491
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bakersfield-Delano ($215 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Fresno sits among every US metro

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

$1,664 Top 23% higher than 77% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #89 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 42% above the national 2-bedroom average. 40 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 23420

Counties inside Fresno

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 23420, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,376–$1,664, 21% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Fresno County 2BR $1,664 · 1.0M Madera County 2BR $1,376 · 157K

Fresno studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #89 nationally

1BR $1,355 (+41% vs US, +11.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 23420.

Studio
$1,347
US avg $893
↑11.3% YoY +51% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,355
US avg $959
↑11.3% YoY +41% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,664
US avg $1,175
↑10.6% YoY +42% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,314
US avg $1,525
↑9.7% YoY +52% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,660
US avg $1,756
↑10.1% YoY +51% vs US

How Fresno compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other CA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Fresno highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Fresno: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside CA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Ann Arbor
MI · 2 BR $1,656/mo
Richmond
VA · 2 BR $1,655/mo
Boise City
ID · 2 BR $1,655/mo
Vineland
NJ · 2 BR $1,673/mo

Burden % · outside CA

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

Atlantic City-Hammonton
NJ · 27.8% of income · 2 BR $1,867/mo
Grants Pass
OR · 27.7% of income · 2 BR $1,363/mo
Naples-Marco Island
FL · 27.7% of income · 2 BR $1,986/mo
Hinesville
GA · 28% of income · 2 BR $1,406/mo

Fresno: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,355 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,664 and a studio is $1,347.
How does Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 41% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,355 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Fresno rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,664 ranks #89 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Fresno metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 23420, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,376–$1,664 for a 2-bedroom (21% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Fresno's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 19.7% 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 3.1%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Fresno vs Bakersfield-Delano →

What this means for renters

Treat Fresno's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

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 2 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 $1,355/mo · 1BR CA

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.