HUD FMR Data · Updated April 2026
Biggest Rent Decreases by County
These 50 counties saw the largest year-over-year declines in 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent in HUD's latest release. Butts County, GA leads with -14.3%. Declining FMR is rare in a growing economy and often signals a methodological change at HUD — a new ACS sample, a redrawn area, or a CPI rent revision — rather than falling market rents.
How to Read This Ranking
These year-over-year figures compare HUD's current fiscal-year FMR to the prior fiscal-year FMR for the same county. They should generally track the BLS Consumer Price Index for rent of primary residence; large divergences usually reflect a HUD area-boundary change rather than an actual market move. The national median 2BR FMR is currently $1,250 per month.
Each row links to a full county page with bedroom-by-bedroom Fair Market Rent, rent burden against the local median household income, and the underlying HUD area code. The ranking covers up to 50 counties and refreshes against HUD\'s annual fiscal-year FMR release. For the underlying HUD data, see the official HUD Fair Market Rents dataset or query the HUD FMR API.
| Rank | County | State | 2BR FMR | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Butts County | Georgia | $1,075 | -14.3% |
| 2 | Pickens County | Alabama | $776 | -9.5% |
| 3 | Jacksonville | North Carolina | $1,173 | -7.9% |
| 4 | Hudspeth County | Texas | $973 | -7.6% |
| 5 | Montgomery | Alabama | $1,016 | -7.0% |
| 6 | Salinas | California | $2,684 | -6.8% |
| 7 | Holmes County | Mississippi | $842 | -6.8% |
| 8 | Asheville | North Carolina | $1,567 | -6.7% |
| 9 | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | $1,204 | -5.7% |
| 10 | Meriwether County | Georgia | $1,001 | -5.7% |
| 11 | Iberville Parish | Louisiana | $866 | -5.7% |
| 12 | Seattle-Bellevue | Washington | $2,501 | -5.4% |
| 13 | Greenville | North Carolina | $1,095 | -5.2% |
| 14 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | Oregon | $1,922 | -5.0% |
| 15 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | Washington | $1,922 | -5.0% |
| 16 | Simpson County | Mississippi | $858 | -5.0% |
| 17 | Hattiesburg | Mississippi | $1,047 | -4.9% |
| 18 | Hoke County | North Carolina | $998 | -4.9% |
| 19 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | Maryland | $1,857 | -4.4% |
| 20 | Boulder | Colorado | $2,124 | -4.2% |
| 21 | Binghamton | New York | $1,103 | -3.3% |
| 22 | Atascosa County | Texas | $1,098 | -3.3% |
| 23 | Fayetteville | North Carolina | $1,251 | -3.2% |
| 24 | Lincoln County | North Carolina | $1,054 | -3.2% |
| 25 | Le Sueur County | Minnesota | $1,078 | -2.9% |
| 26 | Assumption Parish | Louisiana | $967 | -2.8% |
| 27 | Macoupin County | Illinois | $916 | -2.8% |
| 28 | Flint | Michigan | $1,033 | -2.6% |
| 29 | New Orleans-Metairie | Louisiana | $1,331 | -2.3% |
| 30 | San Antonio-New Braunfels | Texas | $1,426 | -2.2% |
| 31 | Louisville | Indiana | $1,272 | -2.2% |
| 32 | Louisville | Kentucky | $1,272 | -2.2% |
| 33 | Grundy County | Illinois | $1,459 | -2.1% |
| 34 | Waco | Texas | $1,240 | -2.1% |
| 35 | Parkersburg-Vienna | West Virginia | $928 | -2.1% |
| 36 | Beaumont-Port Arthur | Texas | $1,103 | -2.0% |
| 37 | St. James Parish | Louisiana | $921 | -2.0% |
| 38 | Memphis | Mississippi | $1,274 | -1.8% |
| 39 | Memphis | Tennessee | $1,274 | -1.8% |
| 40 | Memphis | Arkansas | $1,274 | -1.8% |
| 41 | Kendall County | Texas | $1,650 | -1.6% |
| 42 | Teller County | Colorado | $1,493 | -1.6% |
| 43 | Lafayette | Louisiana | $1,019 | -1.5% |
| 44 | Lancaster County | South Carolina | $1,011 | -1.5% |
| 45 | Gadsden | Alabama | $927 | -1.4% |
| 46 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | Georgia | $1,820 | -1.3% |
| 47 | Daphne-Fairhope-Foley | Alabama | $1,345 | -1.2% |
| 48 | Gulfport-Biloxi | Mississippi | $1,140 | -1.0% |
| 49 | Mobile | Alabama | $1,083 | -1.0% |
| 50 | Pascagoula | Mississippi | $1,067 | -0.9% |
Methodology Notes
Year-over-year change is the percentage difference between HUD's current fiscal-year 2BR FMR and the prior fiscal-year 2BR FMR for the same county. Counties where HUD redrew an FMR area boundary are excluded from the YoY ranking until two consecutive years of comparable geography are available.
For the full step-by-step calculation, including how HUD ages ACS base rents using BLS CPI rent indexes and how rent burden is paired with Census income data, see the RentIndex methodology page. We do not adjust HUD\'s figures; the rents and rent-burden calculations on this page reflect federal published data exactly as released.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did rent fall the most year over year?
Butts County, GA posted the largest 2BR FMR decline on this list at -14.3% versus HUD's prior fiscal-year reading.
Are rents actually falling in these counties?
Sometimes. More often, a sharp negative YoY FMR reflects a HUD methodological change rather than a market move: a redrawn FMR area, a new ACS base sample, or a CPI rent revision. Cross-check against BLS rent CPI for the metro before treating a single FMR drop as a market signal.
Does FMR decrease mean Section 8 vouchers cover less?
Yes — directly. HUD uses FMR to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. When FMR falls in a county, voucher holders see tighter caps, which can affect where they can rent. Local public housing authorities sometimes apply small "exception payment standards" to soften the change.
Can I lease at the new lower FMR?
FMR is a federal statistical benchmark, not a landlord pricing rule. Asking rent on the open market can stay flat or even rise while HUD's FMR drops, especially when the change is methodological rather than market-driven.
How is FMR change measured?
Year-over-year change is the percentage difference between current and prior fiscal-year HUD 2BR FMR for the same county. Counties with a redrawn FMR area boundary are suppressed until two consecutive years of comparable geography are available.
Other Rankings
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Fair Market Rents — public domain; huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Income figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Last refreshed April 2026.