State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

New York: County Rent Burden

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

24.6%
State avg 2BR burden
6
Counties over 30% (of 62)
1
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about New York

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 New York. Across the 62 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 24.6%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning New York sits 2.9 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In New York, 6 of 62 counties (10%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 1 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Bronx County at 71.2%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,910 eats that share of the local median income of $49,036. 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 New York counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between New York and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
24.6%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
6
of 62
Severely Burdened
1
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Bronx County $2,655 $2,910 65% 71.2%
2 Kings County $2,655 $2,910 40.6% 44.5%
3 Queens County $2,655 $2,910 37.5% 41.1%
4 Richmond County $2,655 $2,910 32.4% 35.5%
5 New York County $2,655 $2,910 30.5% 33.4%
6 Rockland County $2,655 $2,910 28.8% 31.6%
7 Orleans County $1,256 $1,573 23.6% 29.6%
8 Westchester County $2,655 $2,910 26.9% 29.5%
9 Tompkins County $1,466 $1,753 24.1% 28.8%
10 Schoharie County $1,417 $1,702 23.9% 28.7%
11 Putnam County $2,655 $2,910 25% 27.4%
12 Ulster County $1,386 $1,818 20.3% 26.7%
13 Schenectady County $1,417 $1,702 22.1% 26.5%
14 Livingston County $1,256 $1,573 20.8% 26%
15 Jefferson County $1,071 $1,405 19.8% 25.9%
16 Suffolk County $2,379 $2,747 22.2% 25.7%
17 Wayne County $1,256 $1,573 20.4% 25.5%
18 Monroe County $1,256 $1,573 20.3% 25.4%
19 Hamilton County $1,089 $1,429 19% 24.9%
20 Albany County $1,417 $1,702 20.5% 24.6%
21 Orange County $1,549 $1,979 19.3% 24.6%
22 Dutchess County $1,549 $1,979 19.1% 24.4%
23 Oswego County $1,123 $1,392 19.7% 24.4%
24 Chemung County $978 $1,283 18.5% 24.3%
25 Niagara County $1,139 $1,343 20.2% 23.8%
26 Ontario County $1,256 $1,573 18.9% 23.6%
27 Rensselaer County $1,417 $1,702 19.6% 23.6%
28 Nassau County $2,379 $2,747 19.9% 23%
29 Madison County $1,123 $1,392 18.4% 22.8%
30 Erie County $1,139 $1,343 19.2% 22.6%
31 Sullivan County $1,070 $1,302 18.4% 22.4%
32 Washington County $1,066 $1,348 17.7% 22.4%
33 Greene County $1,118 $1,373 18.1% 22.3%
34 Onondaga County $1,123 $1,392 18% 22.3%
35 Otsego County $965 $1,228 17.3% 22%
36 Broome County $868 $1,103 17.1% 21.7%
37 Clinton County $980 $1,246 17% 21.6%
38 Cortland County $960 $1,198 17.1% 21.3%
39 Seneca County $921 $1,169 16.7% 21.3%
40 Montgomery County $899 $1,102 17.1% 21%
41 Schuyler County $875 $1,148 16% 21%
42 Fulton County $828 $1,087 15.9% 20.8%
43 St. Lawrence County $816 $1,071 15.8% 20.8%
44 Cattaraugus County $783 $1,007 16.1% 20.7%
45 Chautauqua County $754 $975 16% 20.7%
46 Warren County $1,066 $1,348 16.3% 20.7%
47 Columbia County $1,263 $1,434 18.1% 20.6%
48 Delaware County $884 $1,033 17.6% 20.6%
49 Saratoga County $1,417 $1,702 17.1% 20.5%
50 Herkimer County $926 $1,172 16.1% 20.4%
51 Oneida County $926 $1,172 16.1% 20.4%
52 Cayuga County $889 $1,124 16% 20.3%
53 Essex County $903 $1,185 15.4% 20.3%
54 Steuben County $871 $1,081 16.1% 20%
55 Franklin County $862 $1,044 16.2% 19.7%
56 Genesee County $953 $1,168 15.9% 19.5%
57 Yates County $836 $1,097 14.9% 19.5%
58 Allegany County $754 $974 14.8% 19.1%
59 Chenango County $855 $973 16.5% 18.8%
60 Tioga County $868 $1,103 14.5% 18.4%
61 Lewis County $839 $1,008 14.7% 17.7%
62 Wyoming County $844 $973 14.7% 16.9%
National burden rankings → All New York rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in New York? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in New York is 24.6% of household income. 6 of 62 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in New York are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Bronx County at 71.2% of income. 1 counties are severely burdened (above 50%).
How does New York compare to the national average? ▼
New York's average rent burden is 24.6% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 2.9 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.