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HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026

Fair Market Rent in North Carolina by county (FY 2026)

North Carolina has 100 counties, and HUD sets a Fair Market Rent for every one of them. For FY 2026 the median two-bedroom is $1,086. The highest is Franklin County at $1,750, the lowest Wilkes County at $925.

Median 2BR

$1,086

Highest 2BR

$1,750

Franklin County

Lowest 2BR

$925

Wilkes County

Counties

100

45 in metro areas

North Carolina's median two-bedroom FMR is $1,086, just above the $1,018 national number. The state has 45 metro-area counties out of 100, so the average landlord probably isn't setting rent off a rural baseline. Franklin County holds the state's top 2BR rate at $1,750, part of the Raleigh-Cary metro area alongside Johnston and Wake counties, all three at that same number. Wilkes County sits at the bottom at $925, home to about 66,100 people, almost identical in size to Franklin's 69,680. If you're pricing by ZIP code, look at Cabarrus County in the Charlotte metro. Its Small Area FMRs span $1,250 to $2,530 across all 9 of its ZIP codes, the widest spread in the state relative to its size.

45 of the 100 counties sit inside a HUD metro area and share that metro's rate. The other 55 get a county rate built from their own rents. The North Carolina median of $1,086 is about 7% above the national median county ($1,018). HUD also publishes ZIP-level Small Area FMRs covering 100 of the 100 counties, which is where the real variation shows up. Pick a county below for the full studio-to-four-bedroom table, payment standard ranges and ZIP rates.

The median two-bedroom moved up 4% from FY 2025. 40 counties went up, 60 went down, and the rest held.

HUD has already published FY 2027, effective October 1, 2026. Two-bedroom rates go up in 90 counties, down in 9, and hold in the rest. The table shows both years.

Fair Market Rent by county

County
Area
Studio
1 BR
2 BR
3 BR
4 BR
YoYFY 2027 2BR
Population
Franklin CountyMetro$1,524$1,596$1,750$2,196$2,936-0.7%$1,68969,680
Johnston CountyMetro$1,524$1,596$1,750$2,196$2,936-0.7%$1,689219,042
Wake CountyMetro$1,524$1,596$1,750$2,196$2,936-0.7%$1,6891,132,103
Currituck CountyMetro$1,492$1,512$1,713$2,376$2,797+1.0%$1,66728,616
Chatham CountyMetro$1,417$1,507$1,711$2,117$2,527-8.6%$1,74576,754
Durham CountyMetro$1,417$1,507$1,711$2,117$2,527-8.6%$1,745325,101
Orange CountyMetro$1,417$1,507$1,711$2,117$2,527-8.6%$1,745145,919
Gates CountyMetro$1,489$1,513$1,709$2,364$2,794+38.9%$1,66510,509
Cabarrus CountyMetro$1,469$1,538$1,686$2,076$2,637-7.6%$1,785226,396
Gaston CountyMetro$1,469$1,538$1,686$2,076$2,637-7.6%$1,785228,972
Mecklenburg CountyMetro$1,469$1,538$1,686$2,076$2,637-7.6%$1,7851,115,403
Union CountyMetro$1,469$1,538$1,686$2,076$2,637-7.6%$1,785240,109
New Hanover CountyMetro$1,144$1,513$1,659$2,178$2,319+5.0%$1,705228,134
Buncombe CountyMetro$1,227$1,429$1,567$1,905$2,629+3.6%$1,866269,449
Henderson CountyMetro$1,227$1,429$1,567$1,905$2,629+3.6%$1,866116,469
Madison CountyMetro$1,227$1,429$1,567$1,905$2,629+3.6%$1,86621,414
Dare CountyRural$1,120$1,305$1,430$1,821$1,893+1.3%$1,51037,160
Brunswick CountyMetro$1,242$1,301$1,426$1,983$2,392+11.2%$1,574139,721
Moore CountyMetro$1,157$1,239$1,358$1,889$2,278+19.6%$1,223100,759
Alamance CountyMetro$992$1,230$1,348$1,670$1,972+10.8%$1,348171,779
Iredell CountyMetro$1,167$1,222$1,340$1,809$2,248-3.4%$1,429187,839
Guilford CountyMetro$1,159$1,213$1,330$1,703$1,960+15.7%$1,271539,557
Randolph CountyMetro$1,159$1,213$1,330$1,703$1,960+15.7%$1,271144,403
Camden CountyMetro$1,121$1,139$1,287$1,790$2,159+14.0%$1,36410,547
Cumberland CountyMetro$1,090$1,113$1,251$1,667$2,068+0.9%$1,476335,207
Wayne CountyMetro$942$948$1,244$1,496$2,021+5.1%$1,261117,480
Davie CountyMetro$995$1,082$1,232$1,607$1,898+5.9%$1,33243,030
Forsyth CountyMetro$995$1,082$1,232$1,607$1,898+5.9%$1,332383,739
Stokes CountyMetro$995$1,082$1,232$1,607$1,898+5.9%$1,33244,696
Yadkin CountyMetro$995$1,082$1,232$1,607$1,898+5.9%$1,33237,280
Haywood CountyRural$1,039$1,122$1,230$1,475$1,844+0.6%$1,25062,152
Chowan CountyRural$924$930$1,220$1,463$1,615+8.2%$1,33113,835
Pasquotank CountyRural$921$927$1,216$1,640$1,899+2.0%$1,22040,454
Granville CountyRural$1,026$1,084$1,200$1,571$1,700-10.0%$1,21361,161
Carteret CountyRural$907$913$1,198$1,541$1,966-1.7%$1,27768,353
Rowan CountyMetro$952$958$1,196$1,573$2,006-6.9%$1,262147,067
Craven CountyRural$897$902$1,184$1,591$1,988-10.0%$1,246101,098
Watauga CountyRural$822$988$1,177$1,504$1,974-7.6%$1,31154,540
Onslow CountyMetro$929$935$1,173$1,631$1,968+2.3%$1,319203,686
Pender CountyMetro$1,016$1,064$1,166$1,622$1,956+8.1%$1,19961,592
Transylvania CountyRural$881$887$1,164$1,396$1,749+1.2%$1,38633,131
Edgecombe CountyMetro$913$918$1,143$1,550$1,812+6.6%$1,16749,067
Nash CountyMetro$913$918$1,143$1,550$1,812+6.6%$1,16795,015
Anson CountyMetro$785$867$1,138$1,364$1,654-6.4%$1,14322,200
Lee CountyRural$874$880$1,136$1,362$1,715-3.1%$1,17963,560
Alexander CountyMetro$858$908$1,095$1,372$1,660+4.7%$1,14736,505
Burke CountyMetro$858$908$1,095$1,372$1,660+4.7%$1,14787,799
Caldwell CountyMetro$858$908$1,095$1,372$1,660+4.7%$1,14780,716
Catawba CountyMetro$858$908$1,095$1,372$1,660+4.7%$1,147161,011
Pitt CountyMetro$891$896$1,095$1,465$1,837-0.1%$1,167171,196
Pamlico CountyRural$861$866$1,077$1,291$1,618-9.3%$1,08812,317
Lincoln CountyMetro$917$953$1,054$1,461$1,728-10.0%$1,13887,933
Bertie CountyRural$790$796$1,044$1,252$1,449-0.8%$1,08117,818
Rockingham CountyMetro$717$793$1,040$1,286$1,463-0.1%$1,01291,209
Clay CountyRural$878$948$1,039$1,429$1,561+1.9%$1,08711,186
Wilson CountyRural$789$794$1,025$1,307$1,541+1.9%$1,06978,667
Avery CountyRural$761$766$1,005$1,205$1,510-4.6%$1,01217,679
Perquimans CountyRural$799$804$999$1,382$1,387+0.5%$1,04013,053
Hoke CountyMetro$756$761$998$1,388$1,674+1.2%$1,15052,612
Macon CountyRural$681$830$987$1,183$1,325-3.4%$1,01537,088
Polk CountyRural$824$829$983$1,351$1,649-6.0%$1,01219,538
Duplin CountyRural$742$747$980$1,175$1,377+0.4%$1,02549,312
Harnett CountyRural$805$810$980$1,363$1,644-6.1%$1,051134,718
Alleghany CountyRural$740$745$978$1,173$1,470+3.3%$1,04810,989
Vance CountyRural$738$743$975$1,197$1,318-4.6%$1,01242,492
Northampton CountyRural$736$741$972$1,165$1,344-5.3%$1,01217,528
Jackson CountyRural$840$879$964$1,272$1,276+0.3%$1,03942,388
Davidson CountyMetro$816$876$960$1,316$1,591+2.9%$1,087169,498
Person CountyMetro$739$744$948$1,318$1,377-8.1%$1,01239,131
Hyde CountyRural$751$756$940$1,204$1,413-1.7%$1,0124,636
Cherokee CountyRural$645$713$935$1,290$1,497-0.8%$1,01228,868
Yancey CountyRural$708$713$935$1,233$1,238+0.5%$1,05018,538
Ashe CountyRural$700$705$925$1,220$1,225-0.5%$1,01226,759
Beaufort CountyRural$732$737$925$1,220$1,552-0.5%$1,01244,711
Bladen CountyRural$700$705$925$1,258$1,298-0.5%$1,01229,807
Caswell CountyRural$743$748$925$1,270$1,390-0.5%$1,01222,747
Cleveland CountyRural$758$763$925$1,286$1,322-0.5%$1,01499,527
Columbus CountyRural$718$722$925$1,109$1,225-1.4%$1,01250,827
Graham CountyRural$782$844$925$1,199$1,390-0.5%$1,0128,047
Greene CountyRural$782$823$925$1,189$1,390-0.5%$1,01220,407
Halifax CountyRural$638$742$925$1,190$1,367-0.5%$1,01248,772
Hertford CountyRural$638$705$925$1,210$1,225-7.0%$1,01221,633
Jones CountyRural$748$752$925$1,179$1,552-0.5%$1,0129,263
Lenoir CountyRural$727$732$925$1,241$1,441-0.5%$1,01255,071
McDowell CountyRural$782$790$925$1,180$1,225-0.5%$1,01244,629
Martin CountyRural$700$705$925$1,220$1,225-0.5%$1,01221,992
Mitchell CountyRural$700$705$925$1,134$1,225-0.5%$1,01214,989
Montgomery CountyRural$789$794$925$1,252$1,552-0.5%$1,01225,839
Richmond CountyRural$714$814$925$1,286$1,406-0.5%$1,01243,149
Robeson CountyRural$744$748$925$1,187$1,389-0.5%$1,012117,573
Rutherford CountyRural$801$806$925$1,275$1,332-0.5%$1,01264,680
Sampson CountyRural$663$806$925$1,109$1,302-0.5%$1,01259,317
Scotland CountyRural$750$755$925$1,244$1,249-0.5%$1,01234,222
Stanly CountyRural$638$705$925$1,281$1,466-5.6%$1,01262,723
Surry CountyRural$700$705$925$1,109$1,406-0.5%$1,01271,429
Swain CountyRural$806$813$925$1,264$1,390-0.5%$1,01214,130
Tyrrell CountyRural$739$744$925$1,286$1,390-0.5%$1,0123,389
Warren CountyRural$700$705$925$1,172$1,239-0.5%$1,01218,803
Washington CountyRural$739$744$925$1,197$1,391-0.5%$1,01211,051
Wilkes CountyRural$782$793$925$1,233$1,538-0.5%$1,01266,125

100 counties. HUD publishes studio through 4 bedroom rates. Tap a county for payment standards, ZIP-level rates and income needed.

Questions people ask

It depends on the county. For FY 2026 the median two-bedroom FMR across North Carolina's 100 counties is $1,086, ranging from $925 in Wilkes County to $1,750 in Franklin County. Every county's full table is linked on this page.

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