Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly)

Buncombe County had the highest fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly) of 100 counties in 2021, at $2,213. Jones County had the lowest, at $940. The median was $1,201. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,213Buncombe County
Lowest940Jones County
Median1,201100 counties

Map of counties, 2021

Alamance County: 1,201 USDAlexander County: 1,029 USDAlleghany County: 1,180 USDAnson County: 1,111 USDAshe County: 1,200 USDAvery County: 1,265 USDBeaufort County: 958 USDBertie County: 986 USDBladen County: 986 USDBrunswick County: 1,456 USDBuncombe County: 2,213 USDBurke County: 1,029 USDCabarrus County: 1,956 USDCaldwell County: 1,029 USDCamden County: 1,479 USDCarteret County: 1,465 USDCaswell County: 996 USDCatawba County: 1,029 USDChatham County: 1,715 USDCherokee County: 1,147 USDChowan County: 1,399 USDClay County: 1,264 USDCleveland County: 1,126 USDColumbus County: 1,006 USDCraven County: 1,640 USDCumberland County: 1,472 USDCurrituck County: 1,986 USDDare County: 1,594 USDDavidson County: 1,221 USDDavie County: 1,322 USDDuplin County: 1,067 USDDurham County: 1,715 USDEdgecombe County: 1,135 USDForsyth County: 1,322 USDFranklin County: 1,950 USDGaston County: 1,956 USDGates County: 1,286 USDGraham County: 1,200 USDGranville County: 1,277 USDGreene County: 1,200 USDGuilford County: 1,289 USDHalifax County: 1,109 USDHarnett County: 1,368 USDHaywood County: 1,336 USDHenderson County: 2,213 USDHertford County: 1,132 USDHoke County: 1,266 USDHyde County: 1,171 USDIredell County: 1,582 USDJackson County: 1,151 USDJohnston County: 1,950 USDJones County: 940 USDLee County: 1,054 USDLenoir County: 1,217 USDLincoln County: 1,257 USDMcDowell County: 1,122 USDMacon County: 1,314 USDMadison County: 2,213 USDMartin County: 1,200 USDMecklenburg County: 1,956 USDMitchell County: 1,111 USDMontgomery County: 1,013 USDMoore County: 1,356 USDNash County: 1,135 USDNew Hanover County: 1,841 USDNorthampton County: 1,046 USDOnslow County: 1,548 USDOrange County: 1,715 USDPamlico County: 1,376 USDPasquotank County: 1,290 USDPender County: 1,406 USDPerquimans County: 1,323 USDPerson County: 1,027 USDPitt County: 1,512 USDPolk County: 1,100 USDRandolph County: 1,289 USDRichmond County: 1,117 USDRobeson County: 960 USDRockingham County: 999 USDRowan County: 1,208 USDRutherford County: 993 USDSampson County: 1,113 USDScotland County: 969 USDStanly County: 1,159 USDStokes County: 1,322 USDSurry County: 1,123 USDSwain County: 1,111 USDTransylvania County: 1,054 USDTyrrell County: 1,179 USDUnion County: 1,956 USDVance County: 1,113 USDWake County: 1,950 USDWarren County: 1,200 USDWashington County: 1,200 USDWatauga County: 1,120 USDWayne County: 1,395 USDWilkes County: 1,120 USDWilson County: 1,055 USDYadkin County: 1,322 USDYancey County: 1,062 USD
  • Under 1,100
  • 1,100 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 1,300
  • 1,300 to 1,600
  • 1,600 and over
USD, 2021. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Buncombe County: 2,213 USDBuncombe County2,213Henderson County: 2,213 USDHenderson County2,213Madison County: 2,213 USDMadison County2,213Currituck County: 1,986 USDCurrituck County1,986Cabarrus County: 1,956 USDCabarrus County1,956Gaston County: 1,956 USDGaston County1,956Mecklenburg County: 1,956 USDMecklenburg County1,956Union County: 1,956 USDUnion County1,956Franklin County: 1,950 USDFranklin County1,950Johnston County: 1,950 USDJohnston County1,950Wake County: 1,950 USDWake County1,950New Hanover County: 1,841 USDNew Hanover County1,841Chatham County: 1,715 USDChatham County1,715Durham County: 1,715 USDDurham County1,715Orange County: 1,715 USDOrange County1,715Craven County: 1,640 USDCraven County1,640Dare County: 1,594 USDDare County1,594Iredell County: 1,582 USDIredell County1,582Onslow County: 1,548 USDOnslow County1,548Pitt County: 1,512 USDPitt County1,512Camden County: 1,479 USDCamden County1,479Cumberland County: 1,472 USDCumberland County1,472Carteret County: 1,465 USDCarteret County1,465Brunswick County: 1,456 USDBrunswick County1,456Pender County: 1,406 USDPender County1,406Chowan County: 1,399 USDChowan County1,399Wayne County: 1,395 USDWayne County1,395Pamlico County: 1,376 USDPamlico County1,376Harnett County: 1,368 USDHarnett County1,368Moore County: 1,356 USDMoore County1,356Haywood County: 1,336 USDHaywood County1,336Perquimans County: 1,323 USDPerquimans County1,323Davie County: 1,322 USDDavie County1,322Forsyth County: 1,322 USDForsyth County1,322Stokes County: 1,322 USDStokes County1,322Yadkin County: 1,322 USDYadkin County1,322Macon County: 1,314 USDMacon County1,314Pasquotank County: 1,290 USDPasquotank County1,290Guilford County: 1,289 USDGuilford County1,289Randolph County: 1,289 USDRandolph County1,289Buncombe County: 2,213 USDBuncombe County2,213Henderson County: 2,213 USDHenderson County2,213Madison County: 2,213 USDMadison County2,213Currituck County: 1,986 USDCurrituck County1,986Cabarrus County: 1,956 USDCabarrus County1,956Gaston County: 1,956 USDGaston County1,956Mecklenburg County: 1,956 USDMecklenburg County1,956Union County: 1,956 USDUnion County1,956Franklin County: 1,950 USDFranklin County1,950Johnston County: 1,950 USDJohnston County1,950Wake County: 1,950 USDWake County1,950New Hanover County: 1,841 USDNew Hanover County1,841Chatham County: 1,715 USDChatham County1,715Durham County: 1,715 USDDurham County1,715Orange County: 1,715 USDOrange County1,715Craven County: 1,640 USDCraven County1,640Dare County: 1,594 USDDare County1,594Iredell County: 1,582 USDIredell County1,582Onslow County: 1,548 USDOnslow County1,548Pitt County: 1,512 USDPitt County1,512Camden County: 1,479 USDCamden County1,479Cumberland County: 1,472 USDCumberland County1,472Carteret County: 1,465 USDCarteret County1,465Brunswick County: 1,456 USDBrunswick County1,456Pender County: 1,406 USDPender County1,406Chowan County: 1,399 USDChowan County1,399Wayne County: 1,395 USDWayne County1,395Pamlico County: 1,376 USDPamlico County1,376Harnett County: 1,368 USDHarnett County1,368Moore County: 1,356 USDMoore County1,356Haywood County: 1,336 USDHaywood County1,336Perquimans County: 1,323 USDPerquimans County1,323Davie County: 1,322 USDDavie County1,322Forsyth County: 1,322 USDForsyth County1,322Stokes County: 1,322 USDStokes County1,322Yadkin County: 1,322 USDYadkin County1,322Macon County: 1,314 USDMacon County1,314Pasquotank County: 1,290 USDPasquotank County1,290Guilford County: 1,289 USDGuilford County1,289Randolph County: 1,289 USDRandolph County1,289
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
USD
Change on 2020
1Buncombe County2,213+0.5%
1Henderson County2,213+0.5%
1Madison County2,213+0.5%
4Currituck County1,986-0.4%
5Cabarrus County1,956+7%
5Gaston County1,956+7%
5Mecklenburg County1,956+7%
5Union County1,956+7%
9Franklin County1,950+2.9%
9Johnston County1,950+2.9%
9Wake County1,950+2.9%
12New Hanover County1,841+12.9%
13Chatham County1,715+4.3%
13Durham County1,715+4.3%
13Orange County1,715+4.3%
16Craven County1,640+1.2%
17Dare County1,594+2.5%
18Iredell County1,582+2.9%
19Onslow County1,548-4.1%
20Pitt County1,512+11.1%
21Camden County1,479+1.7%
22Cumberland County1,472+1.5%
23Carteret County1,465+0.9%
24Brunswick County1,456+3.6%
25Pender County1,406+5.8%
26Chowan County1,399+1.4%
27Wayne County1,395+2.5%
28Pamlico County1,376+3.4%
29Harnett County1,368-0.7%
30Moore County1,356-4.4%
31Haywood County1,336-10%
32Perquimans County1,323+1.5%
33Davie County1,322+5.3%
33Forsyth County1,322+5.3%
33Stokes County1,322+5.3%
33Yadkin County1,322+5.3%
37Macon County1,314+0.3%
38Pasquotank County1,290+4.3%
39Guilford County1,289+0.1%
39Randolph County1,289+0.1%
41Gates County1,286+5.3%
42Granville County1,277+1.8%
43Hoke County1,2660%
44Avery County1,265+7.3%
45Clay County1,264+5.4%
46Lincoln County1,257-6.7%
47Davidson County1,221+2.4%
48Lenoir County1,217-0.2%
49Rowan County1,208+5.9%
50Alamance County1,201-3.8%
51Ashe County1,200+1.9%
51Graham County1,200+1.9%
51Greene County1,200+21%
51Martin County1,200+6.7%
51Warren County1,200+1.9%
51Washington County1,200+1.9%
57Alleghany County1,180+12%
58Tyrrell County1,179+9.3%
59Hyde County1,171-10%
60Stanly County1,159+9%
61Jackson County1,151-5.4%
62Cherokee County1,147+6%
63Edgecombe County1,135+0.4%
63Nash County1,135+0.4%
65Hertford County1,132+9.1%
66Cleveland County1,126+1.8%
67Surry County1,123+4.9%
68McDowell County1,122+2.5%
69Watauga County1,120-4.6%
69Wilkes County1,120+2.5%
71Richmond County1,117+8.4%
72Sampson County1,113+5.9%
72Vance County1,113+4%
74Anson County1,111-5.7%
74Mitchell County1,111+4.1%
74Swain County1,111+4.1%
77Halifax County1,109+4.4%
78Polk County1,100+4.8%
79Duplin County1,067-5.8%
80Yancey County1,062-0.5%
81Wilson County1,055+4.1%
82Lee County1,054+6.3%
82Transylvania County1,054+8%
84Northampton County1,046-10%
85Alexander County1,029-0.6%
85Burke County1,029-0.6%
85Caldwell County1,029-0.6%
85Catawba County1,029-0.6%
89Person County1,027+4.9%
90Montgomery County1,013-6.4%
91Columbus County1,006+0.2%
92Rockingham County999+8.9%
93Caswell County996+1.1%
94Rutherford County993-1.2%
95Bertie County986+3%
95Bladen County986+8.5%
97Scotland County969-4.3%
98Robeson County960+3.1%
99Beaufort County958+5.4%
100Jones County940-6.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Monthly gross rent, in US dollars, that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets for a four-bedroom unit in the HUD area that contains the county.

More on how it is measured
  • Gross rent is the rent plus all utilities paid by the tenant except telephone, cable or satellite television and internet.
  • HUD sets Fair Market Rents at the 40th percentile of gross rents paid by recent movers for standard-quality rental units, from American Community Survey data brought forward to the fiscal year; until 2018 a few metropolitan areas were set at the 50th percentile.
  • They set payment standards for Housing Choice Vouchers and rent ceilings in other HUD programs.

A policy benchmark, not a measured rent: it is lower than the median rent by design and differs from the Census Bureau median gross rent. HUD sets one value per HUD area, a metropolitan area (sometimes split into HUD Metro FMR Areas) or a non-metropolitan county, so every county of a metropolitan area shows the same figure. Counties in the six New England states have no value, because HUD defines their areas by town and a county can span several areas. Where HUD splits off part of a county, the county value is the rest of the county: Howard County, Maryland, without Columbia until FY2015, and Crawford County, Missouri, without its part of Sullivan. The year is HUD's federal fiscal year: FY2027 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2021). HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars (Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly), 2021. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 10 Mar. 2021, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-four-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2021. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars. Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-four-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2021) HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-four-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
  title = {{HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars: Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly), 2021}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-four-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21\_4050\_FMRs\_rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
TI  - HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars: Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly), 2021
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/03/10
PB  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-four-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-four-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly)?

Buncombe County, with $2,213 in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Which county has the lowest fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly)?

Jones County, with $940 in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: four bedrooms, monthly gross rent in dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Fair Market Rent, four bedrooms (HUD, monthly): other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings