Metro FMR · CBSA 34580 · HUD FY2026

Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA metro area - 37% above the US average.

$1,311
1-bedroom FMR
$1,720
2-bedroom FMR
+0.8%
YoY change
+37%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA area rents at $1,720 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 46% above the US average, higher than 80% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#77
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+46%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$68,800
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Mount Vernon-Anacortes: #77 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $85,474, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.4% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Mount Vernon-Anacortes in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 129,480 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 5.2% 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 1.1%, 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 $1,439/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,720 runs 19.5% 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 upper-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.

Observed renter burden: 48.8% of the 15,124 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

$1,186/mo

16.7% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,311/mo

18.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,720/mo

24.1% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,392/mo

33.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,599/mo

36.5% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·34580

Mount Vernon-Anacortes: $1,311/mo 1BR · #77 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 34580

  • CBSA 34580
  • 1BR-FMR $1,311
  • 2BR-FMR $1,720
  • RANK-MID #77
  • YOY-FLAT +0.8%
  • VSUS-HIGH +37%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #7 WA
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MID 129K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bellingham
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,180–$1,442
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bellingham ($182 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Mount Vernon-Anacortes sits among every US metro

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

$1,720 Top 20% higher than 80% 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%). Below this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #77 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 46% above the national 2-bedroom average. 40 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

Mount Vernon-Anacortes studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #77 nationally

1BR $1,311 (+37% vs US, +0.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 34580.

Studio
$1,186
US avg $893
↑1.7% YoY +33% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,311
US avg $959
↑0.8% YoY +37% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,720
US avg $1,175
↑1.1% YoY +46% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,392
US avg $1,525
↑0.3% YoY +57% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,599
US avg $1,756
↑0.3% YoY +48% vs US

How Mount Vernon-Anacortes compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other WA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Mount Vernon-Anacortes highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Mount Vernon-Anacortes: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Mount Vernon-Anacortes with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside WA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside WA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Durham-Chapel Hill
NC · 2 BR $1,711/mo
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
TN · 2 BR $1,730/mo
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
MN · 2 BR $1,709/mo
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville
FL · 2 BR $1,709/mo

Burden % · outside WA

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

Charlottesville
VA · 24.2% of income · 2 BR $1,824/mo
Coeur d'Alene
ID · 24.1% of income · 2 BR $1,547/mo
Dover
DE · 24.2% of income · 2 BR $1,470/mo
Johnson City
TN · 24.2% of income · 2 BR $1,132/mo

Mount Vernon-Anacortes: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA is $1,311 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,720 and a studio is $1,186.
How does Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA metro area is 37% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,311 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Mount Vernon-Anacortes rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,720 ranks #77 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $52,440 ($4,370/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA area.
Is Mount Vernon-Anacortes's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 5.2% 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 1.1%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Mount Vernon-Anacortes vs Bellingham →

What this means for renters

Treat Mount Vernon-Anacortes'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 $1,311 implies about $52,440/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Mount Vernon-Anacortes stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Bellingham
  • See where Mount Vernon-Anacortes 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 $1,311/mo · 1BR WA

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.