Metro FMR · CBSA 32900 · HUD FY2026

Merced, CA MSA Fair Market Rent

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

$1,213
1-bedroom FMR
$1,503
2-bedroom FMR
-1.1%
YoY change
+26%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Merced, CA MSA area rents at $1,503 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 28% above the US average, higher than 69% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#120
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+28%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$60,120
income to afford it (30% rule)
-1.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Merced: #120 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $65,044, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 22.4% of annual income. It remains below the 30% affordability guide, but is a material part of a median-income household's budget.

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

With 282,290 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 6.1% 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 2.8%, 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 $1,284/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,503 runs 17.1% 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: 45.2% of the 39,508 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

$1,116/mo

20.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,213/mo

22.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,503/mo

27.7% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,067/mo

38.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,503/mo

46.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·32900

Merced: $1,213/mo 1BR · #120 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 32900

  • CBSA 32900
  • 1BR-FMR $1,213
  • 2BR-FMR $1,503
  • RANK-MID #120
  • YOY-FLAT -1.1%
  • VSUS-HIGH +26%
  • IN-ST-LOW #6 CA
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-MAJOR 282K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bakersfield-Delano
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,092–$1,334
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bakersfield-Delano ($73 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Merced sits among every US metro

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

$1,503 Top 31% higher than 69% 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 #120 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 28% 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

Merced studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #120 nationally

1BR $1,213 (+26% vs US, -1.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 32900.

Studio
$1,116
US avg $893
↑4.2% YoY +25% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,213
US avg $959
↓1.1% YoY +26% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,503
US avg $1,175
↓0.4% YoY +28% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,067
US avg $1,525
↓0.7% YoY +36% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,503
US avg $1,756
↓1.2% YoY +43% vs US

How Merced compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other CA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Merced: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside CA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

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

Burden % · outside CA

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

Grants Pass
OR · 27.7% of income · 2 BR $1,363/mo
Atlantic City-Hammonton
NJ · 27.8% of income · 2 BR $1,867/mo
Naples-Marco Island
FL · 27.7% of income · 2 BR $1,986/mo
Warren County
NJ · 27.5% of income · 2 BR $1,895/mo

Merced: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Merced, CA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Merced, CA MSA is $1,213 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,503 and a studio is $1,116.
How does Merced, CA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Merced, CA MSA metro area is 26% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,213 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Merced rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,503 ranks #120 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Merced, CA MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $48,520 ($4,043/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Merced, CA MSA area.
Is Merced's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 6.1% 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 2.8%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Merced vs Bakersfield-Delano →

What this means for renters

Treat Merced's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

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 $1,213/mo · 1BR CA

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.