State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Nevada: County Rent Burden

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

23%
State avg 2BR burden
1
Counties over 30% (of 16)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Nevada

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 Nevada. Across the 16 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 23%, compared with a national average of 21.7% — meaning Nevada sits 1.3 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Nevada, 1 of 16 counties (6%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Mineral County at 33%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,393 eats that share of the local median income of $50,584. 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 Nevada counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Nevada and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
23%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
1
of 16
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 Mineral County $1,062 $1,393 25.2% 33%
2 Clark County $1,478 $1,735 24% 28.2%
3 Nye County $1,000 $1,220 21.4% 26.2%
4 Washoe County $1,489 $1,870 20.9% 26.2%
5 Carson City $1,212 $1,546 20.3% 25.8%
6 Storey County $1,489 $1,870 18.6% 23.4%
7 Churchill County $1,083 $1,421 17.7% 23.3%
8 Eureka County $1,062 $1,393 17.4% 22.9%
9 Elko County $1,166 $1,530 16.8% 22%
10 Douglas County $1,291 $1,605 17.6% 21.9%
11 White Pine County $1,002 $1,315 16.6% 21.8%
12 Lyon County $1,076 $1,272 17.6% 20.8%
13 Humboldt County $1,000 $1,312 15% 19.7%
14 Lincoln County $948 $1,095 16.4% 18.9%
15 Lander County $942 $1,236 13.4% 17.6%
16 Pershing County $878 $985 14.6% 16.4%
National burden rankings → All Nevada rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Nevada? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Nevada is 23% of household income. 1 of 16 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Nevada are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Mineral County at 33% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Nevada compare to the national average? ▼
Nevada's average rent burden is 23% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 1.3 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.