HUD FY2026 · National rent statistics

U.S. Fair Market Rent Statistics

The headline numbers on what renting costs across America, drawn from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents for every county and metro area. Free to cite.

$959
US avg 1BR FMR
$1,175
US avg 2BR FMR
3,153
Counties

The national picture

Across 3,153 US counties, HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent averages $959 for a 1-bedroom and $1,175 for a 2-bedroom, but ranges from $591 in Clay to $3,298 in Santa Cruz, a 5.6× spread between the cheapest and priciest counties.

$959
US average 1BR FMR
5.6×
cheapest-to-priciest spread
3,153
counties + 400 metros

HUD sets each county's FMR near the 40th percentile of local gross rents, FY2026.

The headline numbers

Key statistics

$959
US average 1-bedroom FMR
FY2026
$1,175
US average 2-bedroom FMR
FY2026
$591
Cheapest county (1BR)
Clay
$3,298
Most expensive county (1BR)
Santa Cruz
5.6×
Cheapest-to-priciest spread
county 1BR range
$47,000
Income to afford the US 2BR
30% rule, gross/yr
3,153
Counties covered
all 50 states + DC
400
Metro FMR areas covered
HUD CBSAs
Citable findings

Key findings

  • HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent data covers 3,153 US counties and 400 metro areas, with a national average 1-bedroom rent of $959 per month.
  • Santa Cruz County has the highest 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of any US county at $3,298 per month, FY2026.
  • Clay County has the lowest 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent at $591 per month, 5.6 times less than the nation's priciest county.
  • A household needs at least $47,000 in annual gross income to afford the average 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent without exceeding HUD's 30% affordability guideline.
  • 169 of 3,142 US counties (5.4%) have an average 2-bedroom rent burden exceeding 30% of local median household income.
  • The national average 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,175 per month, FY2026.

Each finding above is computed live from the current HUD dataset and free to quote with attribution to PlainRent.

Distribution

How 1-bedroom rent is distributed

Every US county's 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent

The national average is marked; the long tail of expensive coastal counties pulls it upward

$959 Top 34% higher than 66% of 3,145 counties

$400–$600: 7 counties (0%). Below this entry. $600–$800: 1,297 counties (41%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 912 counties (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,000–$1,200: 413 counties (13%). Above this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 179 counties (6%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 162 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 92 counties (3%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 23 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 31 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 8 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 6 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 10 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. US average $400 $3,400 every US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

Cite this page

Use these statistics

These figures are free to quote with attribution. Suggested citation:

PlainRent, "U.S. Fair Market Rent Statistics (FY2026)," PlainRent, https://plainrent.com/statistics, based on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data.

Underlying data is U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rent, a public-domain federal dataset. See our methodology for how it is sourced and computed.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents · FY2026