State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

California: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each California county, FY 2026.

28%
State avg 2BR burden
19
Counties over 30% (of 58)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about California

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents — 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom — by Census-reported median household income for each county in California. Across the 58 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 28%, compared with a national average of 21.7% — meaning California sits 6.3 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In California, 19 of 58 counties (33%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Santa Cruz County at 46.3%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $4,214 eats that share of the local median income of $109,266. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability — eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which California counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between California and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
28%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
19
of 58
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Santa Cruz County $3,298 $4,214 36.2% 46.3%
2 Santa Barbara County $2,746 $3,124 34.3% 39.1%
3 Los Angeles County $2,085 $2,601 28.5% 35.6%
4 San Diego County $2,459 $3,001 28.8% 35.2%
5 Orange County $2,746 $3,236 29% 34.2%
6 Monterey County $2,232 $2,684 28.3% 34.1%
7 Sonoma County $2,155 $2,827 25.1% 33%
8 San Luis Obispo County $1,914 $2,512 24.6% 32.3%
9 San Benito County $2,212 $2,902 24.5% 32.2%
10 San Bernardino County $1,777 $2,201 25.9% 32.1%
11 Mendocino County $1,306 $1,713 24.2% 31.8%
12 Lake County $1,181 $1,549 24.1% 31.6%
13 San Francisco County $2,977 $3,604 25.3% 30.6%
14 Sierra County $1,165 $1,529 23.3% 30.6%
15 Napa County $2,113 $2,773 23.3% 30.5%
16 Sacramento County $1,832 $2,255 24.8% 30.5%
17 Humboldt County $1,186 $1,550 23.3% 30.4%
18 Marin County $2,977 $3,604 25% 30.3%
19 Ventura County $2,250 $2,693 25.2% 30.1%
20 Riverside County $1,777 $2,201 23.8% 29.5%
21 Imperial County $1,038 $1,362 22.1% 29%
22 Butte County $1,270 $1,625 22.2% 28.4%
23 Yolo County $1,615 $2,104 21.8% 28.4%
24 Fresno County $1,355 $1,664 22.8% 28%
25 Contra Costa County $2,385 $2,912 22.8% 27.8%
26 Alameda County $2,385 $2,912 22.7% 27.7%
27 Merced County $1,213 $1,503 22.4% 27.7%
28 San Mateo County $2,977 $3,604 22.9% 27.7%
29 Siskiyou County $969 $1,249 21% 27%
30 Trinity County $916 $1,202 20.5% 27%
31 Mariposa County $1,148 $1,454 21.1% 26.7%
32 Shasta County $1,212 $1,590 20.2% 26.5%
33 Stanislaus County $1,356 $1,758 20.4% 26.5%
34 Tehama County $1,038 $1,362 20.1% 26.4%
35 Tuolumne County $1,257 $1,589 20.9% 26.4%
36 Kern County $1,140 $1,483 20.2% 26.3%
37 Santa Clara County $2,982 $3,483 22.4% 26.2%
38 Plumas County $1,075 $1,411 19.9% 26.1%
39 Solano County $1,705 $2,178 20.5% 26.1%
40 Kings County $1,157 $1,469 20.2% 25.6%
41 Nevada County $1,382 $1,813 19.5% 25.6%
42 El Dorado County $1,832 $2,255 20.7% 25.5%
43 Tulare County $1,123 $1,474 19.4% 25.5%
44 Yuba County $1,272 $1,550 20.8% 25.4%
45 Inyo County $1,381 $1,514 22.9% 25.1%
46 Amador County $1,396 $1,698 20.5% 25%
47 Sutter County $1,272 $1,550 20.2% 24.7%
48 Del Norte County $1,222 $1,370 22% 24.6%
49 Lassen County $1,016 $1,279 18.9% 23.8%
50 Placer County $1,832 $2,255 19.2% 23.6%
51 San Joaquin County $1,395 $1,742 18.9% 23.6%
52 Modoc County $883 $1,108 18.7% 23.5%
53 Calaveras County $1,175 $1,542 17.7% 23.2%
54 Glenn County $1,038 $1,362 17.7% 23.2%
55 Mono County $1,528 $1,675 21.1% 23.1%
56 Madera County $1,062 $1,376 16.9% 21.9%
57 Colusa County $995 $1,306 15.9% 20.9%
58 Alpine County $1,165 $1,529 12.6% 16.6%
National burden rankings → All California rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in California? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in California is 28% of household income. 19 of 58 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in California are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Santa Cruz County at 46.3% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does California compare to the national average? ▼
California's average rent burden is 28% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 6.3 percentage points higher than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.