Metro FMR · CBSA 24300 · HUD FY2026

Grand Junction, CO MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Grand Junction, CO MSA metro area - 3% above the US average.

$986
1-bedroom FMR
$1,249
2-bedroom FMR
+2.6%
YoY change
+3%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Grand Junction, CO MSA area rents at $1,249 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 6% above the US average, lower than 58% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#164
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+6%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$49,960
income to afford it (30% rule)
+2.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Grand Junction: #164 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $71,485, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 16.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Grand Junction in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 156,131 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.9%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.9%, 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 $1,154/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,249 runs 8.2% 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: 45.4% of the 18,146 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

$881/mo

14.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$986/mo

16.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,249/mo

21.0% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,737/mo

29.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,095/mo

35.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·24300

Grand Junction: $986/mo 1BR · #164 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 24300

  • CBSA 24300
  • 1BR-FMR $986
  • 2BR-FMR $1,249
  • RANK-MID #164
  • YOY-UP +2.6%
  • VSUS-NEAR +3%
  • IN-ST-LOW #2 CO
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MID 156K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Boulder
  • VOUCH-90-110 $887–$1,085
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Boulder ($809 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Grand Junction sits among every US metro

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

$1,249 higher than 42% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $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 #164 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 6% above the national 2-bedroom average. 94 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

Grand Junction studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #164 most affordable

1BR $986 (+3% vs US, +2.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 24300.

Studio
$881
US avg $893
↑0.9% YoY -1% vs US
1 Bedroom
$986
US avg $959
↑2.6% YoY +3% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,249
US avg $1,175
↑0.3% YoY +6% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,737
US avg $1,525
↓0.5% YoY +14% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,095
US avg $1,756
↑0.2% YoY +19% vs US

How Grand Junction compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other CO metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Grand Junction: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Grand Junction 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).

Fayetteville
NC · 2 BR $1,251/mo
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
PA · 2 BR $1,252/mo
Janesville-Beloit
WI · 2 BR $1,246/mo
Oklahoma City
OK · 2 BR $1,244/mo

Burden % · outside CO

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

Baton Rouge
LA · 21% of income · 2 BR $1,204/mo
Gadsden
AL · 21% of income · 2 BR $927/mo
Fayette County
WV · 21% of income · 2 BR $915/mo
Lynchburg
VA · 21% of income · 2 BR $1,187/mo

Grand Junction: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Grand Junction, CO MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Grand Junction, CO MSA is $986 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,249 and a studio is $881.
How does Grand Junction, CO MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Grand Junction, CO MSA metro area is 3% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $986 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Grand Junction rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,249 ranks #164 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Grand Junction, CO MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $39,440 ($3,287/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Grand Junction, CO MSA area.
Is Grand Junction's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.9%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.9%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Grand Junction vs Boulder →

What this means for renters

Treat Grand Junction'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 $986 implies about $39,440/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Grand Junction stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Boulder
  • See where Grand Junction 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 1 county; 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 $986/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.