HUD FMR Data · Updated April 2026
Average Rent in Jersey City, NJ
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Jersey City, NJ is $2,763 per month. Jersey City's 2-bedroom FMR of $2,763 runs about 121% above the U.S. national median of $1,250 — a meaningfully higher rent than the typical American county. A typical local household earning $97,334 would spend 34.1% of pre-tax income on this rent.
Jersey City, New Jersey runs on the top tier of the U.S. rental market. HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom is $2,763 ($2,458 for a 1-bedroom, $3,367 for a 3-bedroom). Counties at this rent level concentrate in coastal-metro corridors and resort towns where housing supply lags demand structurally.
Rent burden is at the federal "cost-burdened" threshold: 34 percent of median income going to rent. Manageable for most households but leaves limited room for savings or unplanned expenses. For renters and prospective movers, the HUD FMR is the asking-rent baseline for a modest unit; actual market rents on freshly-listed units typically run 5-15 percent above the FMR in faster-growing markets. The county vacancy rate (7.9 percent) is the structural indicator of how much availability exists in the local market.
RentIndex draws on HUD Fair Market Rents (annual, by bedroom size, every U.S. county) plus Census ACS housing data (median rent, median household income, rent burden, vacancy rate). Each value on the site refreshes on its source’s publication cadence and stamps the as-of date. The methodology page lists every input with the federal source URL.
A practical caveat for rent-research: HUD FMR is the 40th-percentile baseline for modest units, not a current asking-rent average. In rapidly-growing markets, freshly-listed asking rents typically run 5-20 percent above HUD FMR. Cross-reference the FMR against current Zillow, Apartments.com, or local Craigslist listings before treating the FMR as the rent you will actually pay.
Fair Market Rent by Bedroom in Jersey City, NJ
Jersey City's rent ladder runs from $2,407 for a studio up to $3,955 for a 4-bedroom — a 1.6x spread typical of HUD's FMR formula, which scales each bedroom size against the area 2-bedroom standard. The 2-bedroom unit is HUD's reference category and the figure most often cited in housing policy.
| Size | Monthly FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $2,407 |
| 1 Bedroom | $2,458 |
| 2 Bedroom | $2,763 |
| 3 Bedroom | $3,367 |
| 4 Bedroom | $3,955 |
How Jersey City, NJ Compares to the U.S.
Jersey City's 2-bedroom FMR of $2,763 runs about 121% above the U.S. national median of $1,250 — a meaningfully higher rent than the typical American county. HUD\'s national median 2-bedroom FMR currently sits at $1,250 per month, against a Census-reported national median household income of $71,049.
Fair Market Rent in Jersey City jumped 20.2% year over year — a sharp rise that outpaces broad BLS rent CPI. Big annual moves often reflect a tight rental market, but they can also reflect HUD recalibration; cross-check with the BLS rent index before treating it as a pure market signal.
Affordability and Rent Burden
With a median household income of $97,334, a typical Jersey City household would spend 34.1% of pre-tax income on a 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. That's above HUD's 30% cost-burden threshold — meaning the median household here is officially "cost burdened" at FMR.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median Household Income (Census ACS) | $97,334 |
| Rent Burden (annualized 2BR FMR / income) | 34.1% |
| Income Needed for 2BR (HUD 30% rule) | $110,520/yr |
Where the Numbers Come From
Every rent figure on this page is HUD\'s published Fair Market Rent for the Jersey City, NJ FMR area in HUD\'s current fiscal-year release. HUD calculates FMR as the 40th percentile of gross rents for standard-quality units, using Census American Community Survey base rents updated with the BLS CPI rent of primary residence. We do not adjust HUD\'s figures. The full step-by-step calculation is on the RentIndex methodology page, and the underlying data is publicly available at HUD User.
Other New Jersey Counties
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Jersey City, NJ?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit in Jersey City, NJ is $2,763 per month — the 40th-percentile gross rent for standard-quality, non-substandard rentals in this area. Jersey City's 2-bedroom FMR of $2,763 runs about 121% above the U.S. national median of $1,250 — a meaningfully higher rent than the typical American county.
How does Jersey City, NJ rent compare to the rest of the U.S.?
Jersey City's 2-bedroom FMR of $2,763 runs about 121% above the U.S. national median of $1,250 — a meaningfully higher rent than the typical American county. Rent in Jersey City, NJ is set against a national median 2BR FMR of $1,250 and a national median household income of $71,049.
Is rent affordable in Jersey City, NJ?
With a median household income of $97,334, a typical Jersey City household would spend 34.1% of pre-tax income on a 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. That's above HUD's 30% cost-burden threshold — meaning the median household here is officially "cost burdened" at FMR.
Has rent gone up or down in Jersey City, NJ?
Fair Market Rent in Jersey City jumped 20.2% year over year — a sharp rise that outpaces broad BLS rent CPI. Big annual moves often reflect a tight rental market, but they can also reflect HUD recalibration; cross-check with the BLS rent index before treating it as a pure market signal.
What does Fair Market Rent mean and where does the figure come from?
Fair Market Rent is the 40th percentile of gross rents for standard-quality rental units, published annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD calculates FMR using American Community Survey base rents trimmed and updated with BLS Consumer Price Index rent indexes, then uses it to set Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. All rent figures on this page come directly from HUD's public FMR dataset.
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (public domain) · huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Income: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year. Rent inflation reference: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI rent of primary residence. Last refreshed April 2026.