State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Tennessee: County Rent Burden

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

23%
State avg 2BR burden
5
Counties over 30% (of 95)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Tennessee

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 Tennessee. Across the 95 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 23%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Tennessee sits 1.3 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Tennessee, 5 of 95 counties (5%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Lake County at 36.4%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $925 eats that share of the local median income of $30,500. 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 Tennessee counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Tennessee and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
23%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
5
of 95
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 Lake County $705 $925 27.7% 36.4%
2 Cannon County $1,578 $1,730 32.6% 35.7%
3 Hancock County $844 $925 31.7% 34.7%
4 Trousdale County $1,578 $1,730 30% 32.9%
5 Sequatchie County $1,263 $1,390 29% 31.9%
6 Marion County $1,263 $1,390 26.1% 28.7%
7 Union County $1,184 $1,471 23% 28.5%
8 Dickson County $1,578 $1,730 25.9% 28.4%
9 Carter County $893 $1,132 22.1% 28%
10 Anderson County $1,184 $1,471 22.5% 27.9%
11 Davidson County $1,578 $1,730 25% 27.4%
12 Unicoi County $893 $1,132 21.3% 27%
13 Jackson County $705 $925 20.4% 26.8%
14 Robertson County $1,578 $1,730 24.1% 26.5%
15 Madison County $960 $1,260 19.8% 26%
16 Scott County $762 $925 21.4% 26%
17 Hamblen County $887 $1,135 20.2% 25.8%
18 Pickett County $730 $958 19.6% 25.8%
19 Haywood County $705 $925 19.4% 25.5%
20 Cheatham County $1,578 $1,730 23.1% 25.3%
21 Rutherford County $1,578 $1,730 22.9% 25.1%
22 Chester County $960 $1,260 19% 25%
23 Clay County $705 $925 18.9% 24.8%
24 Knox County $1,184 $1,471 19.8% 24.6%
25 Polk County $940 $1,233 18.7% 24.6%
26 Shelby County $1,154 $1,274 22.2% 24.5%
27 Grundy County $844 $925 22.2% 24.4%
28 Sumner County $1,578 $1,730 22% 24.1%
29 Decatur County $736 $925 19.1% 24%
30 Hardeman County $705 $925 18.3% 24%
31 Overton County $742 $925 19.3% 24%
32 Claiborne County $844 $925 21.7% 23.8%
33 Blount County $1,184 $1,471 19% 23.7%
34 Bledsoe County $743 $975 18% 23.6%
35 DeKalb County $726 $953 18% 23.6%
36 Henry County $723 $949 17.9% 23.5%
37 Bradley County $940 $1,233 17.7% 23.2%
38 Hamilton County $1,263 $1,390 20.9% 23%
39 Cocke County $742 $925 18.4% 22.9%
40 White County $756 $992 17.4% 22.8%
41 Hawkins County $818 $1,044 17.8% 22.7%
42 Campbell County $722 $947 17.2% 22.6%
43 Hardin County $705 $925 17.2% 22.6%
44 Lauderdale County $710 $925 17.3% 22.6%
45 Lewis County $844 $925 20.5% 22.4%
46 Weakley County $710 $925 17.2% 22.4%
47 Montgomery County $1,094 $1,346 18.1% 22.3%
48 Washington County $893 $1,132 17.6% 22.3%
49 Sullivan County $818 $1,044 17.3% 22.1%
50 Wilson County $1,578 $1,730 20.1% 22.1%
51 Benton County $705 $925 16.8% 22%
52 Carroll County $746 $925 17.8% 22%
53 Crockett County $842 $1,083 17.1% 22%
54 Grainger County $717 $941 16.8% 22%
55 Loudon County $1,184 $1,471 17.7% 22%
56 Perry County $818 $925 19.4% 22%
57 McNairy County $742 $925 17.6% 21.9%
58 Fentress County $705 $925 16.6% 21.8%
59 Maury County $1,138 $1,349 18.4% 21.8%
60 Sevier County $973 $1,159 18.3% 21.8%
61 Jefferson County $887 $1,135 16.9% 21.6%
62 Putnam County $818 $1,014 17.4% 21.5%
63 Warren County $735 $964 16.3% 21.4%
64 Johnson County $844 $925 19.4% 21.3%
65 Tipton County $1,154 $1,274 19.3% 21.3%
66 Lawrence County $716 $939 16.1% 21.2%
67 Wayne County $705 $925 16% 21%
68 Obion County $727 $925 16.4% 20.9%
69 Henderson County $742 $925 16.7% 20.8%
70 Hickman County $832 $992 17.4% 20.8%
71 Macon County $887 $972 18.9% 20.7%
72 Morgan County $753 $988 15.7% 20.7%
73 Greene County $797 $925 17.7% 20.5%
74 Houston County $726 $925 16% 20.4%
75 Dyer County $778 $925 17% 20.2%
76 Smith County $801 $1,051 15.3% 20.1%
77 Roane County $918 $1,092 16.6% 19.8%
78 Bedford County $928 $1,017 17.9% 19.6%
79 Monroe County $764 $925 16.2% 19.6%
80 Giles County $763 $1,001 14.9% 19.5%
81 Stewart County $815 $1,004 15.8% 19.4%
82 Cumberland County $723 $942 14.8% 19.3%
83 Humphreys County $728 $955 14.7% 19.3%
84 Franklin County $747 $980 14.6% 19.1%
85 Rhea County $705 $925 14.6% 19.1%
86 Coffee County $780 $959 15.4% 19%
87 Meigs County $705 $925 14.5% 19%
88 Gibson County $706 $927 14.4% 18.9%
89 McMinn County $845 $926 17% 18.6%
90 Van Buren County $705 $925 14% 18.4%
91 Fayette County $1,154 $1,274 16.3% 18%
92 Lincoln County $844 $925 16% 17.6%
93 Marshall County $793 $1,041 13.4% 17.6%
94 Moore County $742 $925 13.4% 16.6%
95 Williamson County $1,578 $1,730 14.4% 15.8%
National burden rankings → All Tennessee rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Tennessee? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Tennessee is 23% of household income. 5 of 95 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Tennessee are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Lake County at 36.4% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Tennessee compare to the national average? ▼
Tennessee'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.