Metro FMR · CBSA 41940 · HUD FY2026

San Benito County, CA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the San Benito County, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 131% above the US average.

$2,212
1-bedroom FMR
$2,902
2-bedroom FMR
+10.7%
YoY change
+131%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the San Benito County, CA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $2,902 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 147% above the US average, higher than 98% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#8
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+147%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$116,080
income to afford it (30% rule)
+10.7%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

San Benito County: #8 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $157,444, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 16.9% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places San Benito County in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 1,981,584 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-0.6%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.2%, 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 $2,794/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $2,902 runs 3.9% 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.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#8 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: 43.0% of the 299,132 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

$2,205/mo

16.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$2,212/mo

16.9% of median income

2 Bedroom

$2,902/mo

22.1% of median income

3 Bedroom

$3,944/mo

30.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$4,190/mo

31.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·41940

San Benito County: $2,212/mo 1BR · #8 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 41940

  • CBSA 41940
  • 1BR-FMR $2,212
  • 2BR-FMR $2,902
  • RANK-UPPER #8
  • YOY-SURGE +10.7%
  • VSUS-HIGH +131%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #19 CA
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MEGA 2.0M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bakersfield-Delano
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,991–$2,433
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bakersfield-Delano ($1,072 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where San Benito County sits among every US metro

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

$2,902 Top 2% higher than 98% 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%). Below this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Below this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). This entry sits in this band. $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 41940

Counties inside San Benito County

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 41940, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($2,902–$3,483, 20% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Santa Clara County 2BR $3,483 · 1.9M San Benito County 2BR $2,902 · 65K

San Benito County studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #8 nationally

1BR $2,212 (+131% vs US, +10.7% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 41940.

Studio
$2,205
US avg $893
↑22.6% YoY +147% vs US
1 Bedroom
$2,212
US avg $959
↑10.7% YoY +131% vs US
2 Bedroom
$2,902
US avg $1,175
↑10.6% YoY +147% vs US
3 Bedroom
$3,944
US avg $1,525
↑7.9% YoY +159% vs US
4 Bedroom
$4,190
US avg $1,756
↑3.6% YoY +139% vs US

How San Benito County compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other CA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows San Benito County highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

San Benito County: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside CA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy
MA · 2 BR $2,941/mo
Urban Honolulu
HI · 2 BR $2,642/mo
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
CT · 2 BR $2,511/mo
Seattle-Bellevue
WA · 2 BR $2,501/mo

Burden % · outside CA

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

Chambersburg
PA · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $1,379/mo
Longview
TX · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $1,199/mo
Johnstown
PA · 22.1% of income · 2 BR $1,035/mo
Lebanon
PA · 22.2% of income · 2 BR $1,411/mo

San Benito County: quick answers

What is the average rent in the San Benito County, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in San Benito County, CA HUD Metro FMR Area is $2,212 per month. A 2-bedroom is $2,902 and a studio is $2,205.
How does San Benito County, CA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the San Benito County, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 131% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $2,212 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does San Benito County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,902 ranks #8 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the San Benito County metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 41940, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $2,902–$3,483 for a 2-bedroom (20% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is San Benito County's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-0.6%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.2%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare San Benito County vs Bakersfield-Delano →

What this means for renters

Treat San Benito County'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 $2,212 implies about $88,480/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how San Benito County stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Bakersfield-Delano
  • See where San Benito County 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 $2,212/mo · 1BR CA

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.