Metro FMR · CBSA 41420 · HUD FY2026

Salem, OR MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Salem, OR MSA metro area - 25% above the US average.

$1,201
1-bedroom FMR
$1,560
2-bedroom FMR
+0.3%
YoY change
+25%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Salem, OR MSA area rents at $1,560 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 33% above the US average, higher than 72% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#108
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+33%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$62,400
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Salem: #108 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $76,010, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.0% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 433,415 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.3%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.0%, 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 $1,324/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,560 runs 17.8% 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: 50.5% of the 58,886 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

$1,181/mo

18.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,201/mo

19.0% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,560/mo

24.6% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,159/mo

34.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,338/mo

36.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·41420

Salem: $1,201/mo 1BR · #108 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 41420

  • CBSA 41420
  • 1BR-FMR $1,201
  • 2BR-FMR $1,560
  • RANK-MID #108
  • YOY-FLAT +0.3%
  • VSUS-HIGH +25%
  • IN-ST-LOW #3 OR
  • INC-ROOM 19%
  • POP-MAJOR 433K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Albany
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,081–$1,321
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Albany ($35 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Salem sits among every US metro

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

$1,560 Top 28% higher than 72% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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.

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

CBSA 41420

Counties inside Salem

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 41420, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,560–$1,560, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Marion County 2BR $1,560 · 346K Polk County 2BR $1,560 · 88K

Salem studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #108 nationally

1BR $1,201 (+25% vs US, +0.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 41420.

Studio
$1,181
US avg $893
↑3.0% YoY +32% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,201
US avg $959
↑0.3% YoY +25% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,560
US avg $1,175
↑1.1% YoY +33% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,159
US avg $1,525
↑0.5% YoY +42% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,338
US avg $1,756
↑0.2% YoY +33% vs US

How Salem compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other OR metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Salem: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside OR

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Greeley
CO · 2 BR $1,563/mo
Asheville
NC · 2 BR $1,567/mo
Yuba City
CA · 2 BR $1,550/mo
Walla Walla
WA · 2 BR $1,550/mo

Burden % · outside OR

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

Farmington
NM · 24.6% of income · 2 BR $1,085/mo
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard
WA · 24.7% of income · 2 BR $2,031/mo
St. George
UT · 24.7% of income · 2 BR $1,575/mo
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
NY · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,979/mo

Salem: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Salem, OR MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Salem, OR MSA is $1,201 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,560 and a studio is $1,181.
How does Salem, OR MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Salem, OR MSA metro area is 25% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,201 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Salem rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,560 ranks #108 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Salem metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 41420, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,560–$1,560 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Salem's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.3%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Salem vs Albany →

What this means for renters

Treat Salem'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 $1,201 implies about $48,040/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Salem stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Albany
  • See where Salem 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 $1,201/mo · 1BR OR

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.