Metro FMR · CBSA 40580 · HUD FY2026

Rocky Mount, NC MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Rocky Mount, NC MSA metro area - 4% below the US average.

$918
1-bedroom FMR
$1,143
2-bedroom FMR
+6.7%
YoY change
-4%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Rocky Mount, NC MSA area rents at $1,143 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 3% below the US average, lower than 74% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#102
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-3%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$45,720
income to afford it (30% rule)
+6.7%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Rocky Mount: #102 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $57,437, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.2% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 144,082 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-2.1%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.4%, 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 $889/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,143 runs 28.6% 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: 39.9% of the 21,770 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

$913/mo

19.1% of median income

1 Bedroom

$918/mo

19.2% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,143/mo

23.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,550/mo

32.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,812/mo

37.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·40580

Rocky Mount: $918/mo 1BR · #102 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 40580

  • CBSA 40580
  • 1BR-FMR $918
  • 2BR-FMR $1,143
  • RANK-MID #102
  • YOY-SURGE +6.7%
  • VSUS-NEAR -4%
  • IN-ST-LOW #5 NC
  • INC-ROOM 19%
  • POP-MID 144K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $826–$1,010
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anson County ($51 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Rocky Mount sits among every US metro

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

$1,143 higher than 26% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $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 #102 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 3% below the national 2-bedroom average. 113 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 40580

Counties inside Rocky Mount

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 40580, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,143–$1,143, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Nash County 2BR $1,143 · 95K Edgecombe County 2BR $1,143 · 49K

Rocky Mount studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #102 most affordable

1BR $918 (-4% vs US, +6.7% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 40580.

Studio
$913
US avg $893
↑6.8% YoY +2% vs US
1 Bedroom
$918
US avg $959
↑6.7% YoY -4% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,143
US avg $1,175
↑6.6% YoY -3% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,550
US avg $1,525
↑5.9% YoY +2% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,812
US avg $1,756
↑7.0% YoY +3% vs US

How Rocky Mount compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NC metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Rocky Mount: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Rocky Mount 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).

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
IA · 2 BR $1,143/mo
Lincoln
NE · 2 BR $1,141/mo
Iowa City
IA · 2 BR $1,141/mo
Gulfport-Biloxi
MS · 2 BR $1,140/mo

Burden % · outside NC

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

Colorado Springs
CO · 23.9% of income · 2 BR $1,735/mo
Longview-Kelso
WA · 23.9% of income · 2 BR $1,451/mo
College Station-Bryan
TX · 23.8% of income · 2 BR $1,186/mo
Brunswick-St. Simons
GA · 23.9% of income · 2 BR $1,293/mo

Rocky Mount: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Rocky Mount, NC MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Rocky Mount, NC MSA is $918 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,143 and a studio is $913.
How does Rocky Mount, NC MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Rocky Mount, NC MSA metro area is 4% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $918 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Rocky Mount rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,143 ranks #102 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Rocky Mount metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 40580, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,143–$1,143 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Rocky Mount's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-2.1%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.4%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Rocky Mount vs Anson County →

What this means for renters

Treat Rocky Mount'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 $918 implies about $36,720/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Rocky Mount stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Anson County
  • See where Rocky Mount 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 2 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 $918/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.