Most Affordable Counties by Rent

How to Read This Ranking

For context, the national median 2-bedroom FMR is $1,250 per month and the national median household income is $71,049 per year, per the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates. HUD uses these figures to set Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment standards, so the rents on this list directly drive subsidy levels, income limits, and federal housing program eligibility in those counties.

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.

Methodology Notes

Each county's rent is HUD's published 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent — the 40th-percentile gross rent for standard-quality units. We rank by raw FMR, not by adjusted dollars, so high-cost coastal counties dominate the expensive list and rural Midwest and Plains counties dominate the affordable list. To compare rent against local incomes, use the rent-burden rankings.

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