State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Maryland: County Rent Burden

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

21.7%
State avg 2BR burden
1
Counties over 30% (of 24)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Maryland

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 Maryland. Across the 24 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 21.7%, compared with a national average of 21.7% — meaning Maryland sits 0.0 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Maryland, 1 of 24 counties (4%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Baltimore city at 37.4%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,857 eats that share of the local median income of $59,623. 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 Maryland counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Maryland and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
21.7%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
1
of 24
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 Baltimore city $1,511 $1,857 30.4% 37.4%
2 Prince George's County $2,015 $2,246 24% 26.8%
3 Somerset County $907 $1,167 20.7% 26.7%
4 Baltimore County $1,511 $1,857 19.9% 24.5%
5 Caroline County $1,001 $1,314 18.1% 23.8%
6 Cecil County $1,520 $1,810 20% 23.8%
7 Dorchester County $952 $1,144 18.9% 22.7%
8 Wicomico County $1,061 $1,378 17.5% 22.7%
9 Frederick County $2,015 $2,246 20.1% 22.4%
10 Charles County $2,015 $2,246 20.1% 22.3%
11 Montgomery County $2,015 $2,246 18.8% 20.9%
12 Washington County $961 $1,261 15.6% 20.4%
13 Allegany County $823 $973 17.2% 20.3%
14 Kent County $1,137 $1,246 18.3% 20.1%
15 Harford County $1,511 $1,857 16.3% 20%
16 Talbot County $1,282 $1,409 18.2% 20%
17 Queen Anne's County $1,511 $1,857 16% 19.7%
18 Carroll County $1,511 $1,857 15.6% 19.2%
19 St. Mary's County $1,672 $1,833 17.5% 19.2%
20 Calvert County $1,851 $2,083 16.8% 18.9%
21 Anne Arundel County $1,511 $1,857 15.1% 18.5%
22 Worcester County $1,035 $1,194 15.2% 17.6%
23 Garrett County $864 $973 15% 16.9%
24 Howard County $1,511 $1,857 12.3% 15.2%
National burden rankings → All Maryland rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Maryland? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Maryland is 21.7% of household income. 1 of 24 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Maryland are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Baltimore city at 37.4% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Maryland compare to the national average? ▼
Maryland's average rent burden is 21.7% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 0.0 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.