Metro FMR · CBSA 41540 · HUD FY2026

Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 5% below the US average.

$907
1-bedroom FMR
$1,167
2-bedroom FMR
-14.9%
YoY change
-5%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,167 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 1% below the US average, lower than 71% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#113
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-1%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$46,680
income to afford it (30% rule)
-14.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Somerset County: #113 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $69,592, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 128,487 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population declined 67.7% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels.

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.1%, 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 $1,200/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,167 runs 2.8% below 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: 48.0% of the 18,326 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

$901/mo

15.5% of median income

1 Bedroom

$907/mo

15.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,167/mo

20.1% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,586/mo

27.3% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,667/mo

28.7% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·41540

Somerset County: $907/mo 1BR · #113 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 41540

  • CBSA 41540
  • 1BR-FMR $907
  • 2BR-FMR $1,167
  • RANK-MID #113
  • YOY-DOWN -14.9%
  • VSUS-NEAR -5%
  • IN-ST-LOW #1 MD
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MID 128K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Baltimore-Columbia
  • VOUCH-90-110 $816–$998
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson ($604 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Somerset County sits among every US metro

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

$1,167 higher than 29% 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 #113 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 1% 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 41540

Counties inside Somerset County

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 41540, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,167–$1,378, 18% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Wicomico County 2BR $1,378 · 104K Somerset County 2BR $1,167 · 25K

Somerset County studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #113 most affordable

1BR $907 (-5% vs US, -14.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 41540.

Studio
$901
US avg $893
↓12.6% YoY +1% vs US
1 Bedroom
$907
US avg $959
↓14.9% YoY -5% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,167
US avg $1,175
↓16.5% YoY -1% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,586
US avg $1,525
↓10.0% YoY +4% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,667
US avg $1,756
↓24.1% YoY -5% vs US

How Somerset County compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MD metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Somerset County highlighted among 3 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Somerset County: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside MD

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

La Crosse-Onalaska
WI · 2 BR $1,166/mo
Jackson
MI · 2 BR $1,165/mo
Green Bay
WI · 2 BR $1,164/mo
Mankato
MN · 2 BR $1,171/mo

Burden % · outside MD

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

Greeley
CO · 20.1% of income · 2 BR $1,563/mo
Janesville-Beloit
WI · 20.1% of income · 2 BR $1,246/mo
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington
LA · 20.1% of income · 2 BR $1,331/mo
Dothan
AL · 20.1% of income · 2 BR $950/mo

Somerset County: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area is $907 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,167 and a studio is $901.
How does Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 5% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $907 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Somerset County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,167 ranks #113 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Somerset County metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 41540, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,167–$1,378 for a 2-bedroom (18% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Somerset County's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population declined 67.7% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels. The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.1%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Somerset County vs Baltimore-Columbia-Towson →

What this means for renters

Treat Somerset County'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 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 $907/mo · 1BR MD

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.