Metro FMR · CBSA 47900 · HUD FY2026

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 110% above the US average.

$2,015
1-bedroom FMR
$2,246
2-bedroom FMR
-2.0%
YoY change
+110%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $2,246 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 91% above the US average, higher than 95% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#19
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+91%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$89,840
income to afford it (30% rule)
-2.0%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: #19 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $123,896, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 6,239,011 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#19 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: 45.5% of the 856,735 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

$1,953/mo

18.9% of median income

1 Bedroom

$2,015/mo

19.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$2,246/mo

21.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,835/mo

27.5% of median income

4 Bedroom

$3,332/mo

32.3% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·47900

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,015/mo 1BR · #19 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 47900

  • CBSA 47900
  • 1BR-FMR $2,015
  • 2BR-FMR $2,246
  • RANK-UPPER #19
  • YOY-FLAT -2.0%
  • VSUS-HIGH +110%
  • IN-ST-SOLO Solo metro
  • INC-ROOM 20%
  • POP-MEGA 6.2M
  • PHOTO-FINISH Urban Honolulu
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,814–$2,217
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Urban Honolulu ($1 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Washington-Arlington-Alexandria sits among every US metro

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

$2,246 Top 5% higher than 95% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 47900

Counties inside Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

Across 12 HUD counties in CBSA 47900, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($2,246–$2,246, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Fairfax County 2BR $2,246 · 1.1M Montgomery County 2BR $2,246 · 1.1M Prince George's County 2BR $2,246 · 957K District of Columbia 2BR $2,246 · 671K Prince William County 2BR $2,246 · 481K Loudoun County 2BR $2,246 · 421K

Showing the 6 largest of 12 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #19 nationally

1BR $2,015 (+110% vs US, -2.0% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 47900.

Studio
$1,953
US avg $893
↓2.9% YoY +119% vs US
1 Bedroom
$2,015
US avg $959
↓2.0% YoY +110% vs US
2 Bedroom
$2,246
US avg $1,175
↓2.9% YoY +91% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,835
US avg $1,525
↓2.0% YoY +86% vs US
4 Bedroom
$3,332
US avg $1,756
↓2.4% YoY +90% vs US

How Washington-Arlington-Alexandria compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs metros with similar rent levels

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Washington-Arlington-Alexandria highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Washington-Arlington-Alexandria with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside DC (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside DC

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade
CA · 2 BR $2,255/mo
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
CA · 2 BR $2,201/mo
Vallejo
CA · 2 BR $2,178/mo
Bergen-Passaic
NJ · 2 BR $2,324/mo

Burden % · outside DC

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

Wildwood-The Villages
FL · 21.7% of income · 2 BR $1,328/mo
Lake Charles
LA · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,217/mo
Jacksonville
NC · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,173/mo
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
NC · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,095/mo

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area is $2,015 per month. A 2-bedroom is $2,246 and a studio is $1,953.
How does Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 110% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $2,015 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Washington-Arlington-Alexandria rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,246 ranks #19 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 47900, but 12 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $2,246–$2,246 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Washington-Arlington-Alexandria vs Urban Honolulu →

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 $2,015/mo · 1BR DC

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.