Metro FMR · CBSA 40060 · HUD FY2026

Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 57% above the US average.

$1,507
1-bedroom FMR
$1,655
2-bedroom FMR
-2.5%
YoY change
+57%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,655 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 41% above the US average, higher than 76% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#93
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+41%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$66,200
income to afford it (30% rule)
-2.5%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Richmond: #93 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $84,405, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 21.4% 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 Richmond in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 1,316,145 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.6%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.5%, 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 $1,388/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,655 runs 19.2% 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 172,235 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

$1,442/mo

20.5% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,507/mo

21.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,655/mo

23.5% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,072/mo

29.5% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,553/mo

36.3% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·40060

Richmond: $1,507/mo 1BR · #93 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 40060

  • CBSA 40060
  • 1BR-FMR $1,507
  • 2BR-FMR $1,655
  • RANK-MID #93
  • YOY-DOWN -2.5%
  • VSUS-HIGH +57%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #7 VA
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MEGA 1.3M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Charlottesville
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,356–$1,658
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Charlottesville ($95 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Richmond sits among every US metro

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

$1,655 Top 24% higher than 76% 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 #93 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 41% 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 40060

Counties inside Richmond

Across 12 HUD counties in CBSA 40060, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,655–$1,655, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Chesterfield County 2BR $1,655 · 366K Henrico County 2BR $1,655 · 333K Richmond city 2BR $1,655 · 227K Hanover County 2BR $1,655 · 111K Prince George County 2BR $1,655 · 43K Petersburg city 2BR $1,655 · 33K

Showing the 6 largest of 12 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Richmond studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #93 nationally

1BR $1,507 (+57% vs US, -2.5% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 40060.

Studio
$1,442
US avg $893
↓3.1% YoY +61% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,507
US avg $959
↓2.5% YoY +57% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,655
US avg $1,175
↓3.3% YoY +41% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,072
US avg $1,525
↓4.3% YoY +36% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,553
US avg $1,756
↓4.6% YoY +45% vs US

How Richmond compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other VA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Richmond: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside VA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Boise City
ID · 2 BR $1,655/mo
Ann Arbor
MI · 2 BR $1,656/mo
Fresno
CA · 2 BR $1,664/mo
Prescott Valley-Prescott
AZ · 2 BR $1,637/mo

Burden % · outside VA

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

Gainesville
GA · 23.5% of income · 2 BR $1,514/mo
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
PA · 23.6% of income · 2 BR $1,252/mo
Hot Springs
AR · 23.6% of income · 2 BR $1,090/mo
Stockton-Lodi
CA · 23.6% of income · 2 BR $1,742/mo

Richmond: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,507 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,655 and a studio is $1,442.
How does Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 57% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,507 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Richmond rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,655 ranks #93 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Richmond metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 40060, but 12 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,655–$1,655 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Richmond's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.6%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.5%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Richmond vs Charlottesville →

What this means for renters

Treat Richmond'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 12 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 $1,507/mo · 1BR VA

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.