Metro FMR · CBSA 28940 · HUD FY2026

Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 23% above the US average.

$1,184
1-bedroom FMR
$1,471
2-bedroom FMR
-6.3%
YoY change
+23%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,471 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 25% above the US average, higher than 67% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#128
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+25%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$58,840
income to afford it (30% rule)
-6.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Knoxville: #128 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $69,734, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 20.4% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 908,007 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.

Observed renter burden: 42.5% of the 110,654 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

$1,177/mo

20.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,184/mo

20.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,471/mo

25.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,864/mo

32.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,172/mo

37.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·28940

Knoxville: $1,184/mo 1BR · #128 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 28940

  • CBSA 28940
  • 1BR-FMR $1,184
  • 2BR-FMR $1,471
  • RANK-MID #128
  • YOY-DOWN -6.3%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +23%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #8 TN
  • INC-MID 20%
  • POP-MAJOR 908K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Chattanooga
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,066–$1,302
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Chattanooga ($79 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Knoxville sits among every US metro

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

$1,471 Top 33% higher than 67% 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 28940

Counties inside Knoxville

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 28940, but county-level schedules inside Knoxville still diverge: 9 counties range from $941 (2BR in Grainger) to $1,471 (Knox), a 56% spread. Knox is the largest county by population.

Knox County 2BR $1,471 · 481K Blount County 2BR $1,471 · 136K Anderson County 2BR $1,471 · 77K Loudon County 2BR $1,471 · 56K Roane County 2BR $1,092 · 54K Campbell County 2BR $947 · 39K

Showing the 6 largest of 9 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Knoxville studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #128 nationally

1BR $1,184 (+23% vs US, -6.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 28940.

Studio
$1,177
US avg $893
↓6.3% YoY +32% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,184
US avg $959
↓6.3% YoY +23% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,471
US avg $1,175
↓5.0% YoY +25% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,864
US avg $1,525
↓6.3% YoY +22% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,172
US avg $1,756
↓7.0% YoY +24% vs US

How Knoxville compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other TN metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Knoxville: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside TN

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent
FL · 2 BR $1,471/mo
Punta Gorda
FL · 2 BR $1,470/mo
Dover
DE · 2 BR $1,470/mo
Indianapolis-Carmel
IN · 2 BR $1,473/mo

Burden % · outside TN

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

Greensboro-High Point
NC · 25.3% of income · 2 BR $1,330/mo
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell
GA · 25.3% of income · 2 BR $1,820/mo
Durham-Chapel Hill
NC · 25.3% of income · 2 BR $1,711/mo
Rochester
NY · 25.4% of income · 2 BR $1,573/mo

Knoxville: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,184 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,471 and a studio is $1,177.
How does Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 23% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,184 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Knoxville rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,471 ranks #128 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Knoxville metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 28940, but 9 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $941–$1,471 for a 2-bedroom (56% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Knoxville vs Chattanooga →

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 $1,184/mo · 1BR TN

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.