Metro FMR · CBSA 25420 · HUD FY2026

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA metro area - 26% above the US average.

$1,212
1-bedroom FMR
$1,493
2-bedroom FMR
+8.8%
YoY change
+26%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA area rents at $1,493 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 27% above the US average, higher than 68% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#124
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+27%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$59,720
income to afford it (30% rule)
+8.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Harrisburg-Carlisle: #124 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $79,281, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.3% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 593,318 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

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.

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

$1,058/mo

16.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,212/mo

18.3% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,493/mo

22.6% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,920/mo

29.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,977/mo

29.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·25420

Harrisburg-Carlisle: $1,212/mo 1BR · #124 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 25420

  • CBSA 25420
  • 1BR-FMR $1,212
  • 2BR-FMR $1,493
  • RANK-MID #124
  • YOY-SURGE +8.8%
  • VSUS-HIGH +26%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #12 PA
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MAJOR 593K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Altoona
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,091–$1,333
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Altoona ($264 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Harrisburg-Carlisle sits among every US metro

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

$1,493 Top 32% higher than 68% 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.

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

CBSA 25420

Counties inside Harrisburg-Carlisle

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 25420, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,493–$1,493, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Dauphin County 2BR $1,493 · 286K Cumberland County 2BR $1,493 · 261K Perry County 2BR $1,493 · 46K

Harrisburg-Carlisle studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #124 nationally

1BR $1,212 (+26% vs US, +8.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 25420.

Studio
$1,058
US avg $893
↑11.0% YoY +18% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,212
US avg $959
↑8.8% YoY +26% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,493
US avg $1,175
↑8.9% YoY +27% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,920
US avg $1,525
↑8.9% YoY +26% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,977
US avg $1,756
↑8.7% YoY +13% vs US

How Harrisburg-Carlisle compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other PA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Harrisburg-Carlisle highlighted among 3 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Harrisburg-Carlisle: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside PA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Gainesville
FL · 2 BR $1,493/mo
Lakeland-Winter Haven
FL · 2 BR $1,497/mo
Albany
OR · 2 BR $1,500/mo
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
WA · 2 BR $1,500/mo

Burden % · outside PA

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

Columbus
GA · 22.6% of income · 2 BR $1,088/mo
Detroit-Warren-Livonia
MI · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,411/mo
Niles
MI · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,184/mo
Jonesboro
AR · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,040/mo

Harrisburg-Carlisle: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA is $1,212 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,493 and a studio is $1,058.
How does Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA metro area is 26% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,212 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Harrisburg-Carlisle rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,493 ranks #124 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 25420, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,493–$1,493 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Harrisburg-Carlisle vs Altoona →

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 $1,212/mo · 1BR PA

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.