State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Virginia: County Rent Burden

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

22.6%
State avg 2BR burden
11
Counties over 30% (of 133)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Virginia

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 Virginia. Across the 133 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 22.6%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Virginia sits 0.9 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Virginia, 11 of 133 counties (8%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Hopewell city at 40.8%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,655 eats that share of the local median income of $48,681. 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 Virginia counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Virginia and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
22.6%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
11
of 133
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 Hopewell city $1,507 $1,655 37.1% 40.8%
2 Petersburg city $1,507 $1,655 35.6% 39.1%
3 Portsmouth city $1,512 $1,713 30.8% 34.9%
4 Norfolk city $1,512 $1,713 28.3% 32.1%
5 Nelson County $1,602 $1,824 28.1% 31.9%
6 Richmond city $1,507 $1,655 28.9% 31.7%
7 Sussex County $1,507 $1,655 28.8% 31.6%
8 Fredericksburg city $2,015 $2,246 28.3% 31.6%
9 Charlottesville city $1,602 $1,824 27.5% 31.3%
10 Newport News city $1,512 $1,713 27.2% 30.8%
11 Hampton city $1,512 $1,713 26.8% 30.3%
12 Amelia County $1,507 $1,655 27.3% 29.9%
13 Williamsburg city $1,512 $1,713 25.8% 29.3%
14 Winchester city $1,255 $1,573 23.3% 29.2%
15 Radford city $993 $1,271 22.6% 28.9%
16 Roanoke city $1,053 $1,254 24% 28.6%
17 Norton city $697 $914 21.7% 28.5%
18 Charles City County $1,507 $1,655 25.7% 28.2%
19 Bristol city $818 $1,044 22% 28%
20 Scott County $818 $1,044 21.7% 27.8%
21 Mathews County $1,512 $1,713 24% 27.2%
22 Manassas Park city $2,015 $2,246 24% 26.8%
23 Waynesboro city $1,095 $1,261 23.3% 26.8%
24 Galax city $770 $914 22.3% 26.5%
25 Harrisonburg city $1,057 $1,322 21.2% 26.5%
26 Buchanan County $834 $914 23.7% 26%
27 Colonial Heights city $1,507 $1,655 23.7% 26%
28 Lee County $697 $914 19.8% 25.9%
29 Martinsville city $753 $914 21.3% 25.8%
30 Greene County $1,602 $1,824 22.5% 25.7%
31 Covington city $778 $914 21.9% 25.7%
32 Grayson County $834 $914 23.3% 25.6%
33 Danville city $738 $914 20.7% 25.6%
34 Dickenson County $749 $914 20.5% 25%
35 Gloucester County $1,512 $1,713 21.7% 24.6%
36 Spotsylvania County $2,015 $2,246 22.1% 24.6%
37 Emporia city $769 $1,001 18.7% 24.3%
38 Staunton city $1,095 $1,261 21% 24.2%
39 Tazewell County $732 $914 19.2% 24%
40 Westmoreland County $979 $1,194 19.7% 24%
41 Fluvanna County $1,602 $1,824 20.9% 23.8%
42 Prince Edward County $922 $1,094 20.1% 23.8%
43 Lynchburg city $1,033 $1,187 20.7% 23.8%
44 Dinwiddie County $1,507 $1,655 21.6% 23.7%
45 Alexandria city $2,015 $2,246 21.3% 23.7%
46 Clarke County $2,015 $2,246 21.2% 23.6%
47 Essex County $912 $1,113 19.4% 23.6%
48 Smyth County $753 $914 19.3% 23.4%
49 King William County $1,507 $1,655 21.2% 23.3%
50 Henrico County $1,507 $1,655 20.9% 23%
51 Manassas city $2,015 $2,246 20.5% 22.9%
52 Appomattox County $1,033 $1,187 19.9% 22.8%
53 Campbell County $1,033 $1,187 19.8% 22.8%
54 Suffolk city $1,512 $1,713 20.1% 22.8%
55 Virginia Beach city $1,512 $1,713 20% 22.7%
56 Henry County $753 $914 18.7% 22.6%
57 Northumberland County $1,073 $1,309 18.5% 22.6%
58 Salem city $1,053 $1,254 18.9% 22.6%
59 Prince George County $1,507 $1,655 20.5% 22.5%
60 Charlotte County $697 $914 17.1% 22.4%
61 Russell County $748 $914 18.3% 22.4%
62 Halifax County $827 $914 20.2% 22.3%
63 Craig County $1,053 $1,254 18.6% 22.2%
64 Mecklenburg County $724 $950 16.8% 22.1%
65 Buena Vista city $917 $1,005 20.2% 22.1%
66 Accomack County $856 $1,054 17.9% 22%
67 Chesapeake city $1,512 $1,713 19.3% 21.8%
68 Montgomery County $993 $1,271 16.8% 21.6%
69 Richmond County $882 $1,157 16.5% 21.6%
70 Wise County $697 $914 16.5% 21.6%
71 Patrick County $763 $914 18% 21.5%
72 Floyd County $834 $1,094 16.3% 21.4%
73 Isle of Wight County $1,512 $1,713 18.9% 21.4%
74 Albemarle County $1,602 $1,824 18.7% 21.3%
75 Amherst County $1,033 $1,187 18.4% 21.2%
76 Greensville County $769 $1,001 16.3% 21.2%
77 Cumberland County $817 $997 17.2% 21%
78 Carroll County $770 $914 17.6% 20.9%
79 Middlesex County $1,058 $1,291 17.1% 20.9%
80 Prince William County $2,015 $2,246 18.8% 20.9%
81 Fauquier County $2,015 $2,246 18.7% 20.8%
82 Brunswick County $749 $914 17% 20.7%
83 King and Queen County $1,139 $1,250 18.8% 20.6%
84 Northampton County $723 $949 15.5% 20.4%
85 Pittsylvania County $738 $914 16.4% 20.3%
86 Shenandoah County $855 $1,091 15.9% 20.3%
87 Fairfax city $2,015 $2,246 18.2% 20.3%
88 Rockingham County $1,057 $1,322 16.2% 20.2%
89 Chesterfield County $1,507 $1,655 18.3% 20.1%
90 Lunenburg County $697 $914 15.4% 20.1%
91 Stafford County $2,015 $2,246 18.1% 20.1%
92 Washington County $818 $1,044 15.6% 20%
93 Alleghany County $778 $914 16.9% 19.9%
94 Wythe County $762 $914 16.5% 19.8%
95 Frederick County $1,255 $1,573 15.8% 19.7%
96 Buckingham County $875 $959 17.7% 19.4%
97 Franklin city $817 $1,051 15.1% 19.4%
98 Arlington County $2,015 $2,246 17.3% 19.2%
99 James City County $1,512 $1,713 16.9% 19.2%
100 Bath County $801 $977 15.6% 19%
101 York County $1,512 $1,713 16.7% 19%
102 Augusta County $1,095 $1,261 16.4% 18.9%
103 Rockbridge County $917 $1,005 17.2% 18.9%
104 Lancaster County $862 $1,052 15.4% 18.8%
105 Nottoway County $743 $975 14.3% 18.8%
106 Botetourt County $1,053 $1,254 15.7% 18.7%
107 Page County $811 $924 16.4% 18.7%
108 Warren County $1,002 $1,315 14.3% 18.7%
109 Louisa County $1,138 $1,247 17% 18.6%
110 Southampton County $817 $1,051 14.3% 18.4%
111 Bedford County $1,033 $1,187 16% 18.3%
112 Giles County $898 $984 16.6% 18.2%
113 Pulaski County $840 $921 16.6% 18.2%
114 Hanover County $1,507 $1,655 16.5% 18.1%
115 Roanoke County $1,053 $1,254 15.2% 18.1%
116 Fairfax County $2,015 $2,246 16.1% 18%
117 Bland County $749 $914 14.6% 17.9%
118 Powhatan County $1,507 $1,655 16.3% 17.9%
119 Culpeper County $1,170 $1,423 14.6% 17.8%
120 Highland County $749 $914 14.3% 17.4%
121 Surry County $920 $1,039 15.4% 17.4%
122 Falls Church city $2,015 $2,246 15.6% 17.4%
123 Caroline County $1,021 $1,246 14.2% 17.3%
124 Poquoson city $1,512 $1,713 15% 17%
125 Rappahannock County $1,254 $1,375 15.3% 16.8%
126 Goochland County $1,507 $1,655 15.2% 16.7%
127 Franklin County $861 $944 15.1% 16.6%
128 New Kent County $1,507 $1,655 15.1% 16.5%
129 King George County $1,211 $1,469 13.1% 16%
130 Orange County $1,012 $1,234 12.9% 15.7%
131 Madison County $971 $1,066 14% 15.4%
132 Loudoun County $2,015 $2,246 13.5% 15.1%
133 Lexington city $917 $1,005 12.3% 13.5%
National burden rankings → All Virginia rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Virginia? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Virginia is 22.6% of household income. 11 of 133 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Virginia are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Hopewell city at 40.8% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Virginia compare to the national average? ▼
Virginia's average rent burden is 22.6% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 0.9 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.