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

Buncombe County had the highest fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly) of 100 counties in 2026, at $1,674. Warren County had the lowest, at $705. The median was $888. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,674Buncombe County
Lowest705Warren County
Median888100 counties

Map of counties, 2026

Alamance County: 1,230 USDAlexander County: 908 USDAlleghany County: 745 USDAnson County: 867 USDAshe County: 705 USDAvery County: 766 USDBeaufort County: 737 USDBertie County: 796 USDBladen County: 705 USDBrunswick County: 1,301 USDBuncombe County: 1,674 USDBurke County: 908 USDCabarrus County: 1,538 USDCaldwell County: 908 USDCamden County: 1,139 USDCarteret County: 913 USDCaswell County: 748 USDCatawba County: 908 USDChatham County: 1,507 USDCherokee County: 713 USDChowan County: 930 USDClay County: 948 USDCleveland County: 763 USDColumbus County: 722 USDCraven County: 902 USDCumberland County: 1,113 USDCurrituck County: 1,512 USDDare County: 1,305 USDDavidson County: 876 USDDavie County: 1,082 USDDuplin County: 747 USDDurham County: 1,507 USDEdgecombe County: 918 USDForsyth County: 1,082 USDFranklin County: 1,596 USDGaston County: 1,538 USDGates County: 1,513 USDGraham County: 844 USDGranville County: 1,084 USDGreene County: 823 USDGuilford County: 1,213 USDHalifax County: 742 USDHarnett County: 810 USDHaywood County: 1,122 USDHenderson County: 1,674 USDHertford County: 705 USDHoke County: 761 USDHyde County: 756 USDIredell County: 1,222 USDJackson County: 879 USDJohnston County: 1,596 USDJones County: 752 USDLee County: 880 USDLenoir County: 732 USDLincoln County: 953 USDMcDowell County: 790 USDMacon County: 830 USDMadison County: 1,674 USDMartin County: 705 USDMecklenburg County: 1,538 USDMitchell County: 705 USDMontgomery County: 794 USDMoore County: 1,239 USDNash County: 918 USDNew Hanover County: 1,513 USDNorthampton County: 741 USDOnslow County: 935 USDOrange County: 1,507 USDPamlico County: 866 USDPasquotank County: 927 USDPender County: 1,064 USDPerquimans County: 804 USDPerson County: 744 USDPitt County: 896 USDPolk County: 829 USDRandolph County: 1,213 USDRichmond County: 814 USDRobeson County: 748 USDRockingham County: 793 USDRowan County: 958 USDRutherford County: 806 USDSampson County: 806 USDScotland County: 755 USDStanly County: 705 USDStokes County: 1,082 USDSurry County: 705 USDSwain County: 813 USDTransylvania County: 1,039 USDTyrrell County: 744 USDUnion County: 1,538 USDVance County: 743 USDWake County: 1,596 USDWarren County: 705 USDWashington County: 744 USDWatauga County: 988 USDWayne County: 948 USDWilkes County: 793 USDWilson County: 794 USDYadkin County: 1,082 USDYancey County: 713 USD
  • Under 740
  • 740 to 790
  • 790 to 890
  • 890 to 990
  • 990 to 1,300
  • 1,300 and over
USD, 2026. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2026

Buncombe County: 1,674 USDBuncombe County1,674Henderson County: 1,674 USDHenderson County1,674Madison County: 1,674 USDMadison County1,674Franklin County: 1,596 USDFranklin County1,596Johnston County: 1,596 USDJohnston County1,596Wake County: 1,596 USDWake County1,596Cabarrus County: 1,538 USDCabarrus County1,538Gaston County: 1,538 USDGaston County1,538Mecklenburg County: 1,538 USDMecklenburg County1,538Union County: 1,538 USDUnion County1,538Gates County: 1,513 USDGates County1,513New Hanover County: 1,513 USDNew Hanover County1,513Currituck County: 1,512 USDCurrituck County1,512Chatham County: 1,507 USDChatham County1,507Durham County: 1,507 USDDurham County1,507Orange County: 1,507 USDOrange County1,507Dare County: 1,305 USDDare County1,305Brunswick County: 1,301 USDBrunswick County1,301Moore County: 1,239 USDMoore County1,239Alamance County: 1,230 USDAlamance County1,230Iredell County: 1,222 USDIredell County1,222Guilford County: 1,213 USDGuilford County1,213Randolph County: 1,213 USDRandolph County1,213Camden County: 1,139 USDCamden County1,139Haywood County: 1,122 USDHaywood County1,122Cumberland County: 1,113 USDCumberland County1,113Granville County: 1,084 USDGranville County1,084Davie County: 1,082 USDDavie County1,082Forsyth County: 1,082 USDForsyth County1,082Stokes County: 1,082 USDStokes County1,082Yadkin County: 1,082 USDYadkin County1,082Pender County: 1,064 USDPender County1,064Transylvania County: 1,039 USDTransylvania County1,039Watauga County: 988 USDWatauga County988Rowan County: 958 USDRowan County958Lincoln County: 953 USDLincoln County953Clay County: 948 USDClay County948Wayne County: 948 USDWayne County948Onslow County: 935 USDOnslow County935Chowan County: 930 USDChowan County930Buncombe County: 1,674 USDBuncombe County1,674Henderson County: 1,674 USDHenderson County1,674Madison County: 1,674 USDMadison County1,674Franklin County: 1,596 USDFranklin County1,596Johnston County: 1,596 USDJohnston County1,596Wake County: 1,596 USDWake County1,596Cabarrus County: 1,538 USDCabarrus County1,538Gaston County: 1,538 USDGaston County1,538Mecklenburg County: 1,538 USDMecklenburg County1,538Union County: 1,538 USDUnion County1,538Gates County: 1,513 USDGates County1,513New Hanover County: 1,513 USDNew Hanover County1,513Currituck County: 1,512 USDCurrituck County1,512Chatham County: 1,507 USDChatham County1,507Durham County: 1,507 USDDurham County1,507Orange County: 1,507 USDOrange County1,507Dare County: 1,305 USDDare County1,305Brunswick County: 1,301 USDBrunswick County1,301Moore County: 1,239 USDMoore County1,239Alamance County: 1,230 USDAlamance County1,230Iredell County: 1,222 USDIredell County1,222Guilford County: 1,213 USDGuilford County1,213Randolph County: 1,213 USDRandolph County1,213Camden County: 1,139 USDCamden County1,139Haywood County: 1,122 USDHaywood County1,122Cumberland County: 1,113 USDCumberland County1,113Granville County: 1,084 USDGranville County1,084Davie County: 1,082 USDDavie County1,082Forsyth County: 1,082 USDForsyth County1,082Stokes County: 1,082 USDStokes County1,082Yadkin County: 1,082 USDYadkin County1,082Pender County: 1,064 USDPender County1,064Transylvania County: 1,039 USDTransylvania County1,039Watauga County: 988 USDWatauga County988Rowan County: 958 USDRowan County958Lincoln County: 953 USDLincoln County953Clay County: 948 USDClay County948Wayne County: 948 USDWayne County948Onslow County: 935 USDOnslow County935Chowan County: 930 USDChowan County930
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2026
USD
Change on 2025
1Buncombe County1,674+24.3%
1Henderson County1,674+24.3%
1Madison County1,674+24.3%
4Franklin County1,596+0.3%
4Johnston County1,596+0.3%
4Wake County1,596+0.3%
7Cabarrus County1,538-6.6%
7Gaston County1,538-6.6%
7Mecklenburg County1,538-6.6%
7Union County1,538-6.6%
11Gates County1,513+40.2%
11New Hanover County1,513+6%
13Currituck County1,512+2%
14Chatham County1,507-7.9%
14Durham County1,507-7.9%
14Orange County1,507-7.9%
17Dare County1,305+2.8%
18Brunswick County1,301+12.3%
19Moore County1,239+20.9%
20Alamance County1,230+11.9%
21Iredell County1,222-2.5%
22Guilford County1,213+16.7%
22Randolph County1,213+16.7%
24Camden County1,139+15.1%
25Haywood County1,122+1.5%
26Cumberland County1,113+1.8%
27Granville County1,084-10%
28Davie County1,082+9.1%
28Forsyth County1,082+9.1%
28Stokes County1,082+9.1%
28Yadkin County1,082+9.1%
32Pender County1,064+9.2%
33Transylvania County1,039+18.5%
34Watauga County988-1.6%
35Rowan County958-8.8%
36Lincoln County953-9.9%
37Clay County948+2.9%
37Wayne County948+5.1%
39Onslow County935+0.9%
40Chowan County930+8.1%
41Pasquotank County927+2%
42Edgecombe County918+6.7%
42Nash County918+6.7%
44Carteret County913-1.7%
45Alexander County908+6.7%
45Burke County908+6.7%
45Caldwell County908+6.7%
45Catawba County908+6.7%
49Craven County902-10%
50Pitt County896+1.5%
51Lee County880-5.2%
52Jackson County879+1.3%
53Davidson County876+7.9%
54Anson County867-6.5%
55Pamlico County866-4.4%
56Graham County844+0.5%
57Macon County830-7.2%
58Polk County829-1.4%
59Greene County823+9.6%
60Richmond County814-3.1%
61Swain County813+6.7%
62Harnett County810+1.8%
63Rutherford County806-0.1%
63Sampson County806+1.1%
65Perquimans County804+6.1%
66Bertie County796-0.7%
67Montgomery County794+3.8%
67Wilson County794-0.8%
69Rockingham County7930%
69Wilkes County793-1.7%
71McDowell County790-5.5%
72Avery County766-4.6%
73Cleveland County763+7.6%
74Hoke County761+1.2%
75Hyde County756-1.8%
76Scotland County755-4.8%
77Jones County752-0.5%
78Caswell County748-9.4%
78Robeson County748+1.9%
80Duplin County747+0.4%
81Alleghany County745+3.2%
82Person County744-6.4%
82Tyrrell County744-0.7%
82Washington County744+4.9%
85Vance County743-4.6%
86Halifax County742+0.7%
87Northampton County741-5.2%
88Beaufort County737-3.4%
89Lenoir County732-1.1%
90Columbus County722+1%
91Cherokee County713-0.8%
91Yancey County713+0.6%
93Ashe County705-1.7%
93Bladen County705-0.6%
93Hertford County705-7%
93Martin County705-0.6%
93Mitchell County705-0.6%
93Stanly County705-5.6%
93Surry County705-0.6%
93Warren County705-0.6%

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/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.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. (2026). HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars (Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2026) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2026. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 21 Apr. 2026, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2026. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2026. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars. Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2026. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2026.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2026) HUD Fair Market Rents by county: one bedroom, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in North Carolina by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2026 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2026 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2026,
  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 North Carolina by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2026}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2026. 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/fmr2026/FY26\_FMRs\_revised.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 North Carolina by fair Market Rent, one bedroom (HUD, monthly), 2026
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/21
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/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2026
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-one-bedroom/north-carolina-counties?period=2026.
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/fmr2026/FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

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

Buncombe County, with $1,674 in 2026, 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)?

Warren County, with $705 in 2026.

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 North Carolina: more rankings