Metro FMR · CBSA 49020 · HUD FY2026

Winchester, VA-WV MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Winchester, VA-WV MSA metro area - 31% above the US average.

$1,255
1-bedroom FMR
$1,573
2-bedroom FMR
+0.2%
YoY change
+31%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Winchester, VA-WV MSA area rents at $1,573 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 34% above the US average, higher than 73% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#104
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+34%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$62,920
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.2%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Winchester: #104 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $82,413, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.3% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 143,385 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 6.1% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents.

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 $1,309/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,573 runs 20.2% 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: 40.1% of the 15,569 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

$1,133/mo

16.5% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,255/mo

18.3% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,573/mo

22.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,965/mo

28.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,639/mo

38.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·49020

Winchester: $1,255/mo 1BR · #104 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 49020

  • CBSA 49020
  • 1BR-FMR $1,255
  • 2BR-FMR $1,573
  • RANK-MID #104
  • YOY-FLAT +0.2%
  • VSUS-HIGH +31%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #6 VA
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MID 143K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Charlottesville
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,130–$1,381
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Charlottesville ($347 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Winchester sits among every US metro

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

$1,573 Top 27% higher than 73% 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.

What this shows #104 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 34% above the national 2-bedroom average. 51 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 49020

Counties inside Winchester

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 49020, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,573–$1,573, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Frederick County 2BR $1,573 · 92K Winchester city 2BR $1,573 · 28K Hampshire County 2BR $1,573 · 23K

Winchester studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #104 nationally

1BR $1,255 (+31% vs US, +0.2% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 49020.

Studio
$1,133
US avg $893
↑3.5% YoY +27% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,255
US avg $959
↑0.2% YoY +31% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,573
US avg $1,175
↑0.3% YoY +34% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,965
US avg $1,525
↑0.7% YoY +29% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,639
US avg $1,756
↑0.2% YoY +50% vs US

How Winchester compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other VA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Winchester: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside VA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Rochester
NY · 2 BR $1,573/mo
Reading
PA · 2 BR $1,575/mo
St. George
UT · 2 BR $1,575/mo
Asheville
NC · 2 BR $1,567/mo

Burden % · outside VA

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

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
MD · 22.9% of income · 2 BR $1,857/mo
Indianapolis-Carmel
IN · 22.9% of income · 2 BR $1,473/mo
Rome
GA · 22.9% of income · 2 BR $1,192/mo
Buffalo-Cheektowaga
NY · 22.8% of income · 2 BR $1,343/mo

Winchester: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Winchester, VA-WV MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Winchester, VA-WV MSA is $1,255 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,573 and a studio is $1,133.
How does Winchester, VA-WV MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Winchester, VA-WV MSA metro area is 31% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,255 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Winchester rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,573 ranks #104 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Winchester metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 49020, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,573–$1,573 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Winchester's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 6.1% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. 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 Winchester vs Charlottesville →

What this means for renters

Treat Winchester'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 $1,255 implies about $50,200/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Winchester stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Charlottesville
  • See where Winchester 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 $1,255/mo · 1BR VA

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.