HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Burke County, North Carolina (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Burke County is $1,095 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,095
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$986 to $1,205
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$43,800
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in North Carolina
47th of 100
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Burke moves to $1,147. That's up 5%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Burke actually rent for?
Search any address in Burke for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $858 | $772 to $944 | $34,320 | $16.50/hr | +4.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $908 | $817 to $999 | $36,320 | $17.46/hr | +6.7% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,095 | $986 to $1,205 | $43,800 | $21.06/hr | +4.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,372 | $1,235 to $1,509 | $54,880 | $26.38/hr | +2.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,660 | $1,494 to $1,826 | $66,400 | $31.92/hr | +5.9% |
5 to 8 bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $1,909 | $1,718 to $2,100 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,158 | $1,942 to $2,374 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,407 | $2,166 to $2,648 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,656 | $2,390 to $2,922 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Burke, that runs from $858 for a studio up to $1,660 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Burke in with 3 other counties in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro, Catawba County, Caldwell County, Alexander County among them, and every one of them gets $1,095 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Burke ranks 47th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $1,086 and about 8% above the national median county at $1,018. About 87,799 people live here, 33rd in the state.
Counties sharing the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $950 in 28619 (Drexel) and $1,370 in 28655 (Morganton), with the 11 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28612 | Connelly Springs | $1,080 | -1.4% |
| 28619 | Drexel | $950 | -13.2% |
| 28628 | Glen Alpine | $1,090 | -0.5% |
| 28637 | Hildebran | $970 | -11.4% |
| 28641 | Jonas Ridge | $950 | -13.2% |
| 28647 | Linville Falls | $1,080 | -1.4% |
| 28655 | Morganton | $1,370 | +25.1% |
| 28666 | Icard | $1,100 | +0.5% |
| 28671 | Rutherford College | $1,080 | -1.4% |
| 28680 | Morganton | $1,080 | -1.4% |
| 28690 | Valdese | $1,090 | -0.5% |
What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Burke somewhere between $986 and $1,205. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$1,095 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $43,800 a year. Put another way, $21 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom, assuming the rent equals the payment standard. Tenant pays 30% of monthly income, HUD's housing assistance payment covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | HAP at 90% ($986) | HAP at 100% ($1,095) | HAP at 110% ($1,205) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $236 | $345 | $455 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $5 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2025 ($1,046) to FY 2026 ($1,095). Since FY 2020 it's up 54% in total, about 7.4% a year. The North Carolina median moved up 4% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $569 | $573 | $712 | $918 | $1,035 | — |
| FY 2021 | $557 | $560 | $693 | $899 | $1,029 | -2.7% |
| FY 2022 | $589 | $592 | $724 | $943 | $1,085 | +4.5% |
| FY 2023 | $646 | $650 | $791 | $1,033 | $1,179 | +9.3% |
| FY 2024 | $806 | $834 | $1,014 | $1,314 | $1,506 | +28.2% |
| FY 2025 | $818 | $851 | $1,046 | $1,334 | $1,567 | +3.2% |
| FY 2026 | $858 | $908 | $1,095 | $1,372 | $1,660 | +4.7% |
| FY 2027 | $961 | $965 | $1,147 | $1,399 | $1,707 | +4.7% |
Nearby counties
Caldwell County
$1,09510 mi · pop 80,716
McDowell County
$92523 mi · pop 44,629
Avery County
$1,00526 mi · pop 17,679
Catawba County
$1,09527 mi · pop 161,011
Mitchell County
$92529 mi · pop 14,989
Alexander County
$1,09531 mi · pop 36,505
Watauga County
$1,17731 mi · pop 54,540
Cleveland County
$92532 mi · pop 99,527
Questions people ask
$1,095 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $858 for a studio, $908 for one bedroom, $1,372 for three and $1,660 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Look up any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count.
Section 8 rent calculator
Work out the payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent.
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords.
Rent affordability calculator
See what income a household needs for a given rent.
What does a rental in Burke actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Burke for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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