Metro FMR · CBSA 36500 · HUD FY2026

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA metro area - 75% above the US average.

$1,682
1-bedroom FMR
$1,960
2-bedroom FMR
+6.1%
YoY change
+75%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA area rents at $1,960 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 67% above the US average, higher than 90% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#39
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+67%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$78,400
income to afford it (30% rule)
+6.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater: #39 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $93,985, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 21.5% 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 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 294,272 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 8.0% 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 3.8%, 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 $1,634/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,960 runs 20.0% 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.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#39 of 387 HUD-tracked metros).

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: 52.1% of the 37,780 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

$1,538/mo

19.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,682/mo

21.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,960/mo

25.0% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,613/mo

33.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$3,288/mo

42.0% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·36500

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater: $1,682/mo 1BR · #39 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 36500

  • CBSA 36500
  • 1BR-FMR $1,682
  • 2BR-FMR $1,960
  • RANK-UPPER #39
  • YOY-SURGE +6.1%
  • VSUS-HIGH +75%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #10 WA
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MAJOR 294K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bellingham
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,514–$1,850
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bellingham ($189 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater sits among every US metro

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

$1,960 Top 10% higher than 90% 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%). Below this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #39 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 67% above the national 2-bedroom average. 25 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #39 nationally

1BR $1,682 (+75% vs US, +6.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 36500.

Studio
$1,538
US avg $893
↑10.4% YoY +72% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,682
US avg $959
↑6.1% YoY +75% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,960
US avg $1,175
↑6.3% YoY +67% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,613
US avg $1,525
↑3.4% YoY +71% vs US
4 Bedroom
$3,288
US avg $1,756
↑6.2% YoY +87% vs US

How Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other WA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 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).

Cape Coral-Fort Myers
FL · 2 BR $1,961/mo
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota
FL · 2 BR $1,958/mo
Trenton-Princeton
NJ · 2 BR $1,950/mo
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
FL · 2 BR $1,972/mo

Burden % · outside WA

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

Albany
GA · 25% of income · 2 BR $1,129/mo
Burlington
NC · 25.1% of income · 2 BR $1,348/mo
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
TN · 25.2% of income · 2 BR $1,730/mo
Lafayette-West Lafayette
IN · 24.9% of income · 2 BR $1,242/mo

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA is $1,682 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,960 and a studio is $1,538.
How does Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA metro area is 75% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,682 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,960 ranks #39 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $67,280 ($5,607/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA area.
Is Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 8.0% 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 3.8%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater vs Bellingham →

What this means for renters

Treat Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater'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 $1,682 implies about $67,280/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Bellingham
  • See where Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 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 $1,682/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.