State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Connecticut: County Rent Burden

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

25.3%
State avg 2BR burden
1
Counties over 30% (of 9)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Connecticut

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 Connecticut. Across the 9 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 25.3%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Connecticut sits 3.6 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Connecticut, 1 of 9 counties (11%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Greater Bridgeport Planning Region at 34.6%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,511 eats that share of the local median income of $87,135. 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 Connecticut counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Connecticut and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
25.3%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
1
of 9
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 Greater Bridgeport Planning Region $2,100 $2,511 28.9% 34.6%
2 South Central Connecticut Planning Region $1,591 $1,969 22.1% 27.4%
3 Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region $1,496 $1,866 21.3% 26.6%
4 Naugatuck Valley Planning Region $1,445 $1,788 20.1% 24.8%
5 Capitol Planning Region $1,477 $1,865 19.4% 24.4%
6 Western Connecticut Planning Region $2,100 $2,511 20.2% 24.2%
7 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region $1,477 $1,865 17.5% 22.1%
8 Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region $1,304 $1,601 17.9% 21.9%
9 Northwest Hills Planning Region $1,316 $1,616 17.3% 21.3%
National burden rankings → All Connecticut rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Connecticut? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Connecticut is 25.3% of household income. 1 of 9 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Connecticut are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Greater Bridgeport Planning Region at 34.6% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Connecticut compare to the national average? ▼
Connecticut's average rent burden is 25.3% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 3.6 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.