State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Florida: County Rent Burden

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

28.1%
State avg 2BR burden
19
Counties over 30% (of 67)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Florida

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 Florida. Across the 67 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 28.1%, compared with a national average of 21.7% — meaning Florida sits 6.4 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Florida, 19 of 67 counties (28%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Miami-Dade County at 42.6%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,436 eats that share of the local median income of $68,694. 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 Florida counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Florida and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
28.1%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
19
of 67
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 Miami-Dade County $1,995 $2,436 34.9% 42.6%
2 Glades County $1,117 $1,252 34.5% 38.6%
3 Broward County $1,900 $2,333 30.6% 37.6%
4 Hernando County $1,696 $1,977 32.2% 37.5%
5 Monroe County $2,211 $2,504 32.2% 36.5%
6 Gadsden County $1,204 $1,352 31.4% 35.2%
7 Pasco County $1,696 $1,977 30.2% 35.2%
8 Osceola County $1,731 $1,972 30.2% 34.4%
9 Lake County $1,731 $1,972 29.7% 33.8%
10 Pinellas County $1,696 $1,977 29% 33.8%
11 Palm Beach County $1,901 $2,254 28.1% 33.3%
12 Lee County $1,638 $1,961 26.9% 32.2%
13 Hillsborough County $1,696 $1,977 27.1% 31.6%
14 Manatee County $1,686 $1,958 26.7% 31%
15 Okeechobee County $1,032 $1,346 23.7% 30.9%
16 Orange County $1,731 $1,972 27% 30.7%
17 Volusia County $1,385 $1,700 25% 30.6%
18 St. Lucie County $1,467 $1,757 25.5% 30.5%
19 Gulf County $1,297 $1,702 23.1% 30.3%
20 Alachua County $1,246 $1,493 25.1% 30%
21 Flagler County $1,433 $1,806 23.6% 29.7%
22 Gilchrist County $1,246 $1,493 24.5% 29.3%
23 Putnam County $880 $1,155 22.3% 29.3%
24 Dixie County $881 $1,156 22.2% 29.1%
25 Duval County $1,382 $1,658 24.2% 29.1%
26 Sarasota County $1,686 $1,958 25.1% 29.1%
27 Bay County $1,480 $1,682 25.3% 28.8%
28 Hendry County $1,077 $1,271 24.4% 28.8%
29 Columbia County $1,034 $1,318 22.5% 28.7%
30 DeSoto County $1,060 $1,209 25% 28.5%
31 Jefferson County $1,204 $1,352 25.4% 28.5%
32 Seminole County $1,731 $1,972 25% 28.5%
33 Polk County $1,230 $1,497 23.2% 28.2%
34 Marion County $1,172 $1,373 24% 28.1%
35 Collier County $1,797 $1,986 25% 27.7%
36 Hardee County $1,064 $1,248 23.5% 27.6%
37 Highlands County $1,006 $1,271 21.7% 27.4%
38 Taylor County $908 $1,018 24.2% 27.2%
39 Indian River County $1,222 $1,604 20.6% 27.1%
40 Jackson County $814 $1,068 20.6% 27.1%
41 Madison County $969 $1,086 24.1% 27.1%
42 Okaloosa County $1,581 $1,785 24% 27.1%
43 Brevard County $1,478 $1,709 23.4% 27%
44 Escambia County $1,257 $1,471 23% 26.9%
45 Holmes County $983 $1,078 24.5% 26.8%
46 Charlotte County $1,167 $1,470 21.2% 26.7%
47 Citrus County $988 $1,225 21.4% 26.6%
48 Lafayette County $1,181 $1,323 23.4% 26.2%
49 Martin County $1,467 $1,757 21.8% 26.1%
50 Calhoun County $888 $973 22.7% 24.9%
51 Leon County $1,204 $1,352 22.2% 24.9%
52 Hamilton County $875 $981 22% 24.7%
53 Liberty County $966 $1,083 21.5% 24.1%
54 Suwannee County $1,013 $1,110 21.9% 24%
55 Clay County $1,382 $1,658 19.3% 23.1%
56 Washington County $928 $1,017 21.1% 23.1%
57 Franklin County $1,058 $1,186 20.2% 22.7%
58 Bradford County $1,022 $1,120 20.5% 22.5%
59 Nassau County $1,382 $1,658 18.7% 22.4%
60 Levy County $831 $974 18.5% 21.7%
61 Sumter County $1,139 $1,328 18.6% 21.7%
62 Union County $863 $1,132 16% 20.9%
63 Walton County $1,244 $1,364 18.8% 20.6%
64 Santa Rosa County $1,257 $1,471 17% 19.8%
65 Wakulla County $1,073 $1,199 17.4% 19.4%
66 Baker County $922 $1,103 15.6% 18.7%
67 St. Johns County $1,382 $1,658 15.6% 18.7%
National burden rankings → All Florida rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Florida? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Florida is 28.1% of household income. 19 of 67 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Florida are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Miami-Dade County at 42.6% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Florida compare to the national average? ▼
Florida's average rent burden is 28.1% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 6.4 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.