Metro FMR · CBSA 42540 · HUD FY2026

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA metro area - 7% above the US average.

$1,028
1-bedroom FMR
$1,252
2-bedroom FMR
+10.8%
YoY change
+7%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA area rents at $1,252 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 7% above the US average, lower than 57% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#167
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+7%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$50,080
income to afford it (30% rule)
+10.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: #167 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $63,656, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.4% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 567,287 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.0%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.7%, 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 $963/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,252 runs 30.0% 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: 41.7% of the 76,121 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

$863/mo

16.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,028/mo

19.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,252/mo

23.6% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,631/mo

30.7% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,766/mo

33.3% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·42540

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: $1,028/mo 1BR · #167 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 42540

  • CBSA 42540
  • 1BR-FMR $1,028
  • 2BR-FMR $1,252
  • RANK-MID #167
  • YOY-SURGE +10.8%
  • VSUS-NEAR +7%
  • IN-ST-LOW #5 PA
  • INC-ROOM 19%
  • POP-MAJOR 567K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Altoona
  • VOUCH-90-110 $925–$1,131
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Altoona ($80 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Scranton--Wilkes-Barre sits among every US metro

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

$1,252 higher than 43% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #167 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 7% above the national 2-bedroom average. 94 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 42540

Counties inside Scranton--Wilkes-Barre

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 42540, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,252–$1,252, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Luzerne County 2BR $1,252 · 325K Lackawanna County 2BR $1,252 · 216K Wyoming County 2BR $1,252 · 26K

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #167 most affordable

1BR $1,028 (+7% vs US, +10.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 42540.

Studio
$863
US avg $893
↑10.8% YoY -3% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,028
US avg $959
↑10.8% YoY +7% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,252
US avg $1,175
↑11.5% YoY +7% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,631
US avg $1,525
↑11.6% YoY +7% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,766
US avg $1,756
↑10.7% YoY +1% vs US

How Scranton--Wilkes-Barre compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other PA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Scranton--Wilkes-Barre highlighted among 3 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Scranton--Wilkes-Barre with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside PA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside PA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Fayetteville
NC · 2 BR $1,251/mo
Roanoke
VA · 2 BR $1,254/mo
Grand Junction
CO · 2 BR $1,249/mo
Sierra Vista-Douglas
AZ · 2 BR $1,257/mo

Burden % · outside PA

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

Hot Springs
AR · 23.6% of income · 2 BR $1,090/mo
Stockton-Lodi
CA · 23.6% of income · 2 BR $1,742/mo
Memphis
TN · 23.6% of income · 2 BR $1,274/mo
Richmond
VA · 23.5% of income · 2 BR $1,655/mo

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA is $1,028 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,252 and a studio is $863.
How does Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA metro area is 7% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,028 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Scranton--Wilkes-Barre rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,252 ranks #167 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 42540, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,252–$1,252 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Scranton--Wilkes-Barre's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.0%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.7%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Scranton--Wilkes-Barre vs Altoona →

What this means for renters

Treat Scranton--Wilkes-Barre'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 $1,028 implies about $41,120/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Scranton--Wilkes-Barre stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Altoona
  • See where Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 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 $1,028/mo · 1BR PA

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.