Metro FMR · CBSA 26620 · HUD FY2026

Huntsville, AL MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Huntsville, AL MSA metro area - 18% above the US average.

$1,136
1-bedroom FMR
$1,310
2-bedroom FMR
+6.1%
YoY change
+18%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Huntsville, AL MSA area rents at $1,310 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 11% above the US average, higher than 51% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#190
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+11%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$52,400
income to afford it (30% rule)
+6.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Huntsville: #190 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $83,529, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 16.3% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 493,980 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 12.0% 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 6.0%, 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 $1,091/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,310 runs 20.1% 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: 41.0% of the 59,734 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

$1,030/mo

14.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,136/mo

16.3% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,310/mo

18.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,690/mo

24.3% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,109/mo

30.3% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·26620

Huntsville: $1,136/mo 1BR · #190 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 26620

  • CBSA 26620
  • 1BR-FMR $1,136
  • 2BR-FMR $1,310
  • RANK-MID #190
  • YOY-SURGE +6.1%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +18%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #10 AL
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MAJOR 494K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anniston-Oxford
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,022–$1,250
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anniston-Oxford ($379 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Huntsville sits among every US metro

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

$1,310 higher than 51% 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 #190 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 11% 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

CBSA 26620

Counties inside Huntsville

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 26620, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,310–$1,310, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Madison County 2BR $1,310 · 390K Limestone County 2BR $1,310 · 104K

Huntsville studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #190 nationally

1BR $1,136 (+18% vs US, +6.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 26620.

Studio
$1,030
US avg $893
↑11.0% YoY +15% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,136
US avg $959
↑6.1% YoY +18% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,310
US avg $1,175
↑5.0% YoY +11% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,690
US avg $1,525
↑5.0% YoY +11% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,109
US avg $1,756
↑7.4% YoY +20% vs US

How Huntsville compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other AL metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Huntsville: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside AL

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Macon-Bibb County
GA · 2 BR $1,307/mo
Idaho Falls
ID · 2 BR $1,305/mo
Des Moines-West Des Moines
IA · 2 BR $1,318/mo
Bloomington
IL · 2 BR $1,302/mo

Burden % · outside AL

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

Rochester
MN · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,407/mo
Mankato
MN · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,171/mo
Erie County
OH · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,106/mo
Cochran County
TX · 18.7% of income · 2 BR $973/mo

Huntsville: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Huntsville, AL MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Huntsville, AL MSA is $1,136 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,310 and a studio is $1,030.
How does Huntsville, AL MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Huntsville, AL MSA metro area is 18% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,136 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Huntsville rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,310 ranks #190 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Huntsville metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 26620, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,310–$1,310 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Huntsville's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 12.0% 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 6.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Huntsville vs Anniston-Oxford →

What this means for renters

Treat Huntsville'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 $1,136 implies about $45,440/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Huntsville stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Anniston-Oxford
  • See where Huntsville 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 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 $1,136/mo · 1BR AL

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.