Counties in California by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly)

Marin County had the highest fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly) of 58 counties in 2018, at $2,499. Modoc County had the lowest, at $533. The median was $789. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,499Marin County
Lowest533Modoc County
Median78958 counties

Map of counties, 2018

Alameda County: 1,855 USDAlpine County: 710 USDAmador County: 793 USDButte County: 785 USDCalaveras County: 763 USDColusa County: 745 USDContra Costa County: 1,855 USDDel Norte County: 724 USDEl Dorado County: 860 USDFresno County: 771 USDGlenn County: 611 USDHumboldt County: 729 USDImperial County: 687 USDInyo County: 760 USDKern County: 695 USDKings County: 752 USDLake County: 705 USDLassen County: 653 USDLos Angeles County: 1,284 USDMadera County: 723 USDMarin County: 2,499 USDMariposa County: 717 USDMendocino County: 777 USDMerced County: 623 USDModoc County: 533 USDMono County: 924 USDMonterey County: 1,146 USDNapa County: 1,196 USDNevada County: 892 USDOrange County: 1,493 USDPlacer County: 860 USDPlumas County: 751 USDRiverside County: 926 USDSacramento County: 860 USDSan Benito County: 1,277 USDSan Bernardino County: 926 USDSan Diego County: 1,400 USDSan Francisco County: 2,499 USDSan Joaquin County: 746 USDSan Luis Obispo County: 1,107 USDSan Mateo County: 2,499 USDSanta Barbara County: 1,636 USDSanta Clara County: 2,031 USDSanta Cruz County: 1,477 USDShasta County: 713 USDSierra County: 899 USDSiskiyou County: 617 USDSolano County: 1,087 USDSonoma County: 1,420 USDStanislaus County: 809 USDSutter County: 678 USDTehama County: 617 USDTrinity County: 637 USDTulare County: 633 USDTuolumne County: 746 USDVentura County: 1,308 USDYolo County: 905 USDYuba County: 678 USD
  • Under 680
  • 680 to 750
  • 750 to 790
  • 790 to 930
  • 930 to 1,400
  • 1,400 and over
USD, 2018. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2018

Marin County: 2,499 USDMarin County2,499San Francisco County: 2,499 USDSan Francisco County2,499San Mateo County: 2,499 USDSan Mateo County2,499Santa Clara County: 2,031 USDSanta Clara County2,031Alameda County: 1,855 USDAlameda County1,855Contra Costa County: 1,855 USDContra Costa County1,855Santa Barbara County: 1,636 USDSanta Barbara County1,636Orange County: 1,493 USDOrange County1,493Santa Cruz County: 1,477 USDSanta Cruz County1,477Sonoma County: 1,420 USDSonoma County1,420San Diego County: 1,400 USDSan Diego County1,400Ventura County: 1,308 USDVentura County1,308Los Angeles County: 1,284 USDLos Angeles County1,284San Benito County: 1,277 USDSan Benito County1,277Napa County: 1,196 USDNapa County1,196Monterey County: 1,146 USDMonterey County1,146San Luis Obispo County: 1,107 USDSan Luis Obispo County1,107Solano County: 1,087 USDSolano County1,087Riverside County: 926 USDRiverside County926San Bernardino County: 926 USDSan Bernardino County926Mono County: 924 USDMono County924Yolo County: 905 USDYolo County905Sierra County: 899 USDSierra County899Nevada County: 892 USDNevada County892El Dorado County: 860 USDEl Dorado County860Placer County: 860 USDPlacer County860Sacramento County: 860 USDSacramento County860Stanislaus County: 809 USDStanislaus County809Amador County: 793 USDAmador County793Butte County: 785 USDButte County785Mendocino County: 777 USDMendocino County777Fresno County: 771 USDFresno County771Calaveras County: 763 USDCalaveras County763Inyo County: 760 USDInyo County760Kings County: 752 USDKings County752Plumas County: 751 USDPlumas County751San Joaquin County: 746 USDSan Joaquin County746Tuolumne County: 746 USDTuolumne County746Colusa County: 745 USDColusa County745Humboldt County: 729 USDHumboldt County729Del Norte County: 724 USDDel Norte County724Madera County: 723 USDMadera County723Mariposa County: 717 USDMariposa County717Shasta County: 713 USDShasta County713Alpine County: 710 USDAlpine County710Lake County: 705 USDLake County705Kern County: 695 USDKern County695Imperial County: 687 USDImperial County687Sutter County: 678 USDSutter County678Yuba County: 678 USDYuba County678Lassen County: 653 USDLassen County653Trinity County: 637 USDTrinity County637Tulare County: 633 USDTulare County633Merced County: 623 USDMerced County623Siskiyou County: 617 USDSiskiyou County617Tehama County: 617 USDTehama County617Glenn County: 611 USDGlenn County611Modoc County: 533 USDModoc County533Marin County: 2,499 USDMarin County2,499San Francisco County: 2,499 USDSan Francisco County2,499San Mateo County: 2,499 USDSan Mateo County2,499Santa Clara County: 2,031 USDSanta Clara County2,031Alameda County: 1,855 USDAlameda County1,855Contra Costa County: 1,855 USDContra Costa County1,855Santa Barbara County: 1,636 USDSanta Barbara County1,636Orange County: 1,493 USDOrange County1,493Santa Cruz County: 1,477 USDSanta Cruz County1,477Sonoma County: 1,420 USDSonoma County1,420San Diego County: 1,400 USDSan Diego County1,400Ventura County: 1,308 USDVentura County1,308Los Angeles County: 1,284 USDLos Angeles County1,284San Benito County: 1,277 USDSan Benito County1,277Napa County: 1,196 USDNapa County1,196Monterey County: 1,146 USDMonterey County1,146San Luis Obispo County: 1,107 USDSan Luis Obispo County1,107Solano County: 1,087 USDSolano County1,087Riverside County: 926 USDRiverside County926San Bernardino County: 926 USDSan Bernardino County926Mono County: 924 USDMono County924Yolo County: 905 USDYolo County905Sierra County: 899 USDSierra County899Nevada County: 892 USDNevada County892El Dorado County: 860 USDEl Dorado County860Placer County: 860 USDPlacer County860Sacramento County: 860 USDSacramento County860Stanislaus County: 809 USDStanislaus County809Amador County: 793 USDAmador County793Butte County: 785 USDButte County785Mendocino County: 777 USDMendocino County777Fresno County: 771 USDFresno County771Calaveras County: 763 USDCalaveras County763Inyo County: 760 USDInyo County760Kings County: 752 USDKings County752Plumas County: 751 USDPlumas County751San Joaquin County: 746 USDSan Joaquin County746Tuolumne County: 746 USDTuolumne County746Colusa County: 745 USDColusa County745Humboldt County: 729 USDHumboldt County729Del Norte County: 724 USDDel Norte County724Madera County: 723 USDMadera County723Mariposa County: 717 USDMariposa County717Shasta County: 713 USDShasta County713Alpine County: 710 USDAlpine County710Lake County: 705 USDLake County705Kern County: 695 USDKern County695Imperial County: 687 USDImperial County687Sutter County: 678 USDSutter County678Yuba County: 678 USDYuba County678Lassen County: 653 USDLassen County653Trinity County: 637 USDTrinity County637Tulare County: 633 USDTulare County633Merced County: 623 USDMerced County623Siskiyou County: 617 USDSiskiyou County617Tehama County: 617 USDTehama County617Glenn County: 611 USDGlenn County611Modoc County: 533 USDModoc County533
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018
USD
Change on 2017
1Marin County2,499+3.6%
1San Francisco County2,499+3.6%
1San Mateo County2,499+3.6%
4Santa Clara County2,031+14.6%
5Alameda County1,855+7.7%
5Contra Costa County1,855+7.7%
7Santa Barbara County1,636+23.7%
8Orange County1,493+4%
9Santa Cruz County1,477+7.4%
10Sonoma County1,420+17.1%
11San Diego County1,400+4.3%
12Ventura County1,308-1.4%
13Los Angeles County1,284+7.4%
14San Benito County1,277+12.7%
15Napa County1,196-2.6%
16Monterey County1,146+1.1%
17San Luis Obispo County1,107+9.5%
18Solano County1,087+5%
19Riverside County926-3.2%
19San Bernardino County926-3.2%
21Mono County924+3.2%
22Yolo County905+2.4%
23Sierra County899+3.8%
24Nevada County892-9.4%
25El Dorado County860+4.8%
25Placer County860+4.8%
25Sacramento County860+4.8%
28Stanislaus County809+11.4%
29Amador County793+4.2%
30Butte County785+7.7%
31Mendocino County777+0.1%
32Fresno County771+8.7%
33Calaveras County763+14.7%
34Inyo County760+7.3%
35Kings County752+20.7%
36Plumas County751+4.3%
37San Joaquin County746+1.8%
37Tuolumne County746+2.3%
39Colusa County745+4.6%
40Humboldt County729-5.9%
41Del Norte County724-2%
42Madera County723+7.6%
43Mariposa County717-1.5%
44Shasta County713+3.6%
45Alpine County710+11.5%
46Lake County705+0.4%
47Kern County695+6.9%
48Imperial County687+9.7%
49Sutter County678-0.1%
49Yuba County678-0.1%
51Lassen County653-5.4%
52Trinity County637+4.1%
53Tulare County633-5.2%
54Merced County623+3.5%
55Siskiyou County617+0.8%
55Tehama County617-0.3%
57Glenn County611+4.8%
58Modoc County533-7.3%

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 one-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: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18_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. (2018). HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars (Counties in California by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in California by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2018. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 13 Feb. 2018, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/california-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2018. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. Counties in California by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/california-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2018) HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in California by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/california-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_california_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
  title = {{HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars: Counties in California by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2018}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/california-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18\_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: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars: Counties in California by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2018
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/02/13
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/fmr2018/FY18_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/california-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/california-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2018/FY18_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly)?

Marin County, with $2,499 in 2018, 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, one bedroom (HUD, monthly)?

Modoc County, with $533 in 2018.

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: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly): other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings