Metro FMR · CBSA 39580 · HUD FY2026

Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA metro area - 66% above the US average.

$1,596
1-bedroom FMR
$1,750
2-bedroom FMR
+0.3%
YoY change
+66%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA area rents at $1,750 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 49% above the US average, higher than 83% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#66
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+49%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$70,000
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Raleigh-Cary: #66 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $96,066, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.9% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 1,420,825 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 11.3% 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 8.7%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,459/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,750 runs 19.9% 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: 45.2% of the 183,376 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

$1,524/mo

19.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,596/mo

19.9% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,750/mo

21.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,196/mo

27.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,936/mo

36.7% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·39580

Raleigh-Cary: $1,596/mo 1BR · #66 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 39580

  • CBSA 39580
  • 1BR-FMR $1,596
  • 2BR-FMR $1,750
  • RANK-MID #66
  • YOY-FLAT +0.3%
  • VSUS-HIGH +66%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #16 NC
  • INC-ROOM 20%
  • POP-MEGA 1.4M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,436–$1,756
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anson County ($729 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Raleigh-Cary sits among every US metro

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

$1,750 Top 17% higher than 83% 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 #66 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 49% 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

CBSA 39580

Counties inside Raleigh-Cary

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 39580, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,750–$1,750, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Wake County 2BR $1,750 · 1.1M Johnston County 2BR $1,750 · 219K Franklin County 2BR $1,750 · 70K

Raleigh-Cary studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #66 nationally

1BR $1,596 (+66% vs US, +0.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 39580.

Studio
$1,524
US avg $893
↓0.6% YoY +71% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,596
US avg $959
↑0.3% YoY +66% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,750
US avg $1,175
↓0.7% YoY +49% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,196
US avg $1,525
↑0.2% YoY +44% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,936
US avg $1,756
↓0.8% YoY +67% vs US

How Raleigh-Cary compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NC metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Raleigh-Cary highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Raleigh-Cary: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside NC

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Broadwater County
MT · 2 BR $1,748/mo
Salt Lake City
UT · 2 BR $1,747/mo
Ithaca
NY · 2 BR $1,753/mo
Port St. Lucie
FL · 2 BR $1,757/mo

Burden % · outside NC

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

Lancaster
PA · 21.9% of income · 2 BR $1,526/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

Raleigh-Cary: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA is $1,596 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,750 and a studio is $1,524.
How does Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA metro area is 66% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,596 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Raleigh-Cary rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,750 ranks #66 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Raleigh-Cary metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 39580, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,750–$1,750 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Raleigh-Cary's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 11.3% 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 8.7%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Raleigh-Cary vs Anson County →

What this means for renters

Treat Raleigh-Cary'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 $1,596 implies about $63,840/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Raleigh-Cary stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Anson County
  • See where Raleigh-Cary 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 3 counties; 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 $1,596/mo · 1BR NC

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.