Metro FMR · CBSA 25860 · HUD FY2026

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA metro area - 5% below the US average.

$908
1-bedroom FMR
$1,095
2-bedroom FMR
+6.7%
YoY change
-5%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA area rents at $1,095 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 7% below the US average, lower than 83% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#67
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-7%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$43,800
income to afford it (30% rule)
+6.7%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton: #67 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $60,255, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.1% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton in the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 366,031 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the lower-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.

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

$858/mo

17.1% of median income

1 Bedroom

$908/mo

18.1% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,095/mo

21.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,372/mo

27.3% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,660/mo

33.1% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·25860

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton: $908/mo 1BR · #67 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 25860

  • CBSA 25860
  • 1BR-FMR $908
  • 2BR-FMR $1,095
  • RANK-MID #67
  • YOY-SURGE +6.7%
  • VSUS-NEAR -5%
  • IN-ST-LOW #4 NC
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MAJOR 366K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $817–$999
  • FY-2026 FY2026

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

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton sits among every US metro

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

$1,095 higher than 17% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $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.

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

CBSA 25860

Counties inside Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton

Across 4 HUD counties in CBSA 25860, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,095–$1,095, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Catawba County 2BR $1,095 · 161K Burke County 2BR $1,095 · 88K Caldwell County 2BR $1,095 · 81K Alexander County 2BR $1,095 · 37K

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #67 most affordable

1BR $908 (-5% vs US, +6.7% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 25860.

Studio
$858
US avg $893
↑4.9% YoY -4% vs US
1 Bedroom
$908
US avg $959
↑6.7% YoY -5% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,095
US avg $1,175
↑4.7% YoY -7% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,372
US avg $1,525
↑2.8% YoY -10% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,660
US avg $1,756
↑5.9% YoY -5% vs US

How Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NC metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside NC (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside NC

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Austin County
TX · 2 BR $1,095/mo
Springfield
MO · 2 BR $1,095/mo
Floyd County
VA · 2 BR $1,094/mo
Terre Haute
IN · 2 BR $1,094/mo

Burden % · outside NC

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

Springfield
OH · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,106/mo
Birmingham-Hoover
AL · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,266/mo
Lake Charles
LA · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,217/mo
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
DC · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $2,246/mo

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA is $908 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,095 and a studio is $858.
How does Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA metro area is 5% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $908 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,095 ranks #67 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 25860, but 4 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,095–$1,095 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton vs Anson County →

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 $908/mo · 1BR NC

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.