Methodology & data sources
Transparency is the core of our trustworthiness: this page documents exactly where every figure comes from, what fiscal year it covers, and how each derived value is computed.
Primary data source
All Fair Market Rent figures are HUD's published FY2026 Fair Market Rents (40th
percentile), taken from the revised final county/area data file
(FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx) on
HUD USER, the research arm of the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD data is a U.S. Government work in the
public domain. We captured this snapshot in June 2026.
| Source | Refresh cadence | License |
|---|---|---|
| HUD USER — FY2026 Fair Market Rents (40th percentile, revised final) | annual | Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| HUD USER Fair Market Rents API | annual | Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
What Fair Market Rent is
FMR is HUD's estimate of the 40th-percentile gross rent (contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities) for a modest, standard-quality unit in an FMR area. HUD derives it from American Community Survey rent data, a recent-mover adjustment and a current-year inflation factor, and publishes a value per metro and non-metro county for each bedroom size (0/studio, 1, 2, 3, 4). It is not the market median and not a rent cap. See what is FMR.
How we structure the data
- FMR areas. HUD sets one set of FMRs per "FMR area" (a metro area or a group of
non-metro counties). The source file lists counties (and, in New England and a few states,
county subdivisions) that share an area's FMR. We aggregate to the area
level by HUD's
hud_area_code, summing the distinct county populations (2023 Census figures in the file). - Metro pages. We publish detailed pages for the 75 most populous FMR areas. FMR figures on those pages are HUD's exact published values, unmodified.
- State pages. HUD does not publish a statewide FMR. For each of the 51 states and DC we summarise the FMR areas whose counties fall in that state, reporting the median, minimum and maximum 2-bedroom FMR, the median FMR for each bedroom size, and a population-weighted average 2-bedroom FMR.
Derived calculations (transparent)
- State median FMR = the median of the per-area FMR values for that state and bedroom size.
- Population-weighted average 2BR = Σ(area population × area 2BR FMR) ÷ Σ(area population), using each state's population share within an area.
- National median / min / max = the median, lowest and highest value across all 2600 FMR areas with valid figures. The FY2026 national median 2-bedroom FMR is $975.
- Rankings = a straightforward sort of areas or states by the chosen FMR figure; ties keep source order.
- Weekly / annual on area pages = monthly FMR ÷ 4.33 and × 12 (simple conversions of HUD's monthly figure).
The rent-vs-FMR calculator
The calculator compares your rent to the area FMR for your bedroom size (rent − FMR, and the percentage). The optional voucher illustration assumes a tenant contribution of about 30% of monthly income and a payment standard equal to the FMR. These are rounded rules of thumb; actual Housing Choice Voucher subsidies use adjusted income, utility allowances and the local PHA's own payment standard (commonly 90–110% of FMR). The tool runs entirely in your browser and stores nothing.
Limitations
FMR is an annual estimate that can lag rising or falling local markets, and it reflects standard rather than new-build units, so advertised market rents are often higher. We omit any area or bedroom cell that HUD does not report rather than estimate it. Figures are a June 2026 snapshot — always verify the current value on huduser.gov (or via the HUD FMR API) before relying on it. See our disclaimer.
Last updated: 2026-06-20