Metro FMR · CBSA 29540 · HUD FY2026

Lancaster, PA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Lancaster, PA MSA metro area - 27% above the US average.

$1,220
1-bedroom FMR
$1,526
2-bedroom FMR
+10.3%
YoY change
+27%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Lancaster, PA MSA area rents at $1,526 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 30% above the US average, higher than 70% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#116
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+30%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$61,040
income to afford it (30% rule)
+10.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Lancaster: #116 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $83,703, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 17.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 553,202 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.1%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.5%, 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 $1,289/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,526 runs 18.4% 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: 44.0% of the 63,277 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

$1,102/mo

15.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,220/mo

17.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,526/mo

21.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,980/mo

28.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,020/mo

29.0% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·29540

Lancaster: $1,220/mo 1BR · #116 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 29540

  • CBSA 29540
  • 1BR-FMR $1,220
  • 2BR-FMR $1,526
  • RANK-MID #116
  • YOY-SURGE +10.3%
  • VSUS-HIGH +27%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #13 PA
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MAJOR 553K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Altoona
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,098–$1,342
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Altoona ($272 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Lancaster sits among every US metro

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

$1,526 Top 30% higher than 70% 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.

What this shows #116 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 30% above the national 2-bedroom average. 51 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

Lancaster studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #116 nationally

1BR $1,220 (+27% vs US, +10.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 29540.

Studio
$1,102
US avg $893
↑11.8% YoY +23% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,220
US avg $959
↑10.3% YoY +27% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,526
US avg $1,175
↑9.5% YoY +30% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,980
US avg $1,525
↑8.8% YoY +30% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,020
US avg $1,756
↑9.4% YoY +15% vs US

How Lancaster compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other PA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Lancaster highlighted among 3 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Lancaster: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Lancaster 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).

New Bedford
MA · 2 BR $1,527/mo
Medford
OR · 2 BR $1,530/mo
Spokane
WA · 2 BR $1,531/mo
Kennewick-Richland
WA · 2 BR $1,538/mo

Burden % · outside PA

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

Raleigh-Cary
NC · 21.9% of income · 2 BR $1,750/mo
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek
OH · 21.9% of income · 2 BR $1,273/mo
Birmingham-Hoover
AL · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,266/mo
Springfield
OH · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,106/mo

Lancaster: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Lancaster, PA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Lancaster, PA MSA is $1,220 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,526 and a studio is $1,102.
How does Lancaster, PA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Lancaster, PA MSA metro area is 27% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,220 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Lancaster rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,526 ranks #116 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Lancaster, PA MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $48,800 ($4,067/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Lancaster, PA MSA area.
Is Lancaster's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.1%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.5%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Lancaster vs Altoona →

What this means for renters

Treat Lancaster'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 $1,220 implies about $48,800/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Lancaster stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Altoona
  • See where Lancaster 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 $1,220/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.