Fair Market Rent
Data by County

The national median Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $1,250 per month based on the latest HUD data. Actual rents vary widely by county, from under $600/month in rural areas to over $3,000/month in high-cost metros like San Francisco, New York, and Boston. FMR represents the 40th percentile of gross rents for standard-quality units in each area.

HUD considers households spending more than 30% of gross income on rent to be "cost-burdened" and those spending more than 50% to be "severely cost-burdened." The national median household income is $71,049, meaning a household at the median would need to keep rent below $1,776/mo to avoid cost burden. Search your county to see the local rent burden percentage.

Fair Market Rent is an estimate published annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It represents the 40th percentile of gross rents for standard-quality rental units in a given area. FMR is used to set payment standards for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other federal housing assistance programs. FMR includes the cost of utilities but not telephone service.

The most affordable counties for rent are concentrated in rural areas of the South and Midwest, where 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents can be under $600/month. States like West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky tend to have the lowest rents. However, low rents do not always mean affordability, local incomes also matter. Our affordability index compares rent to local median income to show true housing burden.

Rent trends vary significantly by market. Some high-cost metros have seen rents stabilize or decline as new apartment supply comes online, while many suburban and Sun Belt counties continue to see increases. Search any county to see its year-over-year FMR change. HUD publishes updated FMR data annually, typically in the fall for the upcoming fiscal year.