HUD FMR Data · Updated April 2026
Highest Rent Burden Counties
Rent burden — annual 2BR FMR divided by median household income — measures how much of a typical paycheck goes to housing. These 50 counties post the highest burden in HUD and Census data, led by Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at 46.3%. HUD's threshold for "cost burdened" is 30%; "severely cost burdened" is 50%. Counties above that line concentrate in resort economies, coastal markets, and regions where local wages have not kept pace with housing.
How to Read This Ranking
Rent burden compares the annualized cost of a 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent against median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Nationally, the median household earns $71,049 and faces a 2BR FMR of $1,250/month. HUD treats rent burden above 30% as "cost burdened" and above 50% as "severely cost burdened" — these are the thresholds federal housing programs use to qualify families for assistance.
Each row links to a full county page with bedroom-by-bedroom Fair Market Rent, rent burden against the local median household income, and the underlying HUD area code. The ranking covers up to 50 counties and refreshes against HUD\'s annual fiscal-year FMR release. For the underlying HUD data, see the official HUD Fair Market Rents dataset or query the HUD FMR API.
| Rank | County | State | 2BR FMR | Rent Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville | California | $4,214 | 46.3% |
| 2 | Greene County | Alabama | $1,140 | 43.4% |
| 3 | Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine | California | $3,236 | 41.5% |
| 4 | Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall | Florida | $2,436 | 39.8% |
| 5 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | California | $3,124 | 39.1% |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | $2,333 | 38.1% |
| 7 | Tunica County | Mississippi | $1,186 | 37.1% |
| 8 | West Palm Beach-Boca Raton | Florida | $2,254 | 36.8% |
| 9 | Butte County | Idaho | $1,304 | 36.2% |
| 10 | New York | New York | $2,910 | 35.9% |
| 11 | Easton-Raynham | Massachusetts | $2,550 | 35.7% |
| 12 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | California | $3,001 | 35.2% |
| 13 | Kalawao County | Hawaii | $2,492 | 34.7% |
| 14 | Holmes County | Mississippi | $842 | 34.3% |
| 15 | Jersey City | New Jersey | $2,763 | 34.1% |
| 16 | Salinas | California | $2,684 | 34.1% |
| 17 | Nassau-Suffolk | New York | $2,747 | 33.9% |
| 18 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale | California | $2,601 | 33.4% |
| 19 | Stewart County | Georgia | $973 | 33.4% |
| 20 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | Florida | $1,977 | 33.3% |
| 21 | Gates County | North Carolina | $1,709 | 33.3% |
| 22 | Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina | Hawaii | $2,624 | 33.1% |
| 23 | Flagstaff | Arizona | $1,921 | 33.1% |
| 24 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma | California | $2,827 | 33.0% |
| 25 | Broadwater County | Montana | $1,748 | 33.0% |
| 26 | San Francisco | California | $3,604 | 32.3% |
| 27 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | California | $2,512 | 32.3% |
| 28 | San Benito County | California | $2,902 | 32.2% |
| 29 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers | Florida | $1,961 | 32.2% |
| 30 | Palm Coast | Florida | $1,806 | 32.1% |
| 31 | Bangor | Maine | $1,659 | 31.5% |
| 32 | Boston-Cambridge-Quincy | Massachusetts | $2,941 | 31.4% |
| 33 | Boston-Cambridge-Quincy | New Hampshire | $2,941 | 31.4% |
| 34 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | Florida | $1,972 | 31.3% |
| 35 | Vineland | New Jersey | $1,673 | 31.1% |
| 36 | Anson County | North Carolina | $1,138 | 30.9% |
| 37 | Barnstable Town | Massachusetts | $2,422 | 30.8% |
| 38 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | California | $2,201 | 30.7% |
| 39 | Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon | New Jersey | $2,486 | 30.6% |
| 40 | Napa | California | $2,773 | 30.5% |
| 41 | Urban Honolulu | Hawaii | $2,642 | 30.4% |
| 42 | Gainesville | Florida | $1,493 | 30.4% |
| 43 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | Florida | $1,700 | 30.2% |
| 44 | Union County | South Carolina | $1,038 | 30.2% |
| 45 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | California | $2,693 | 30.1% |
| 46 | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | Florida | $1,958 | 30.0% |
| 47 | York-Kittery-South Berwick | Maine | $2,202 | 29.8% |
| 48 | Panama City | Florida | $1,682 | 29.8% |
| 49 | Prescott Valley-Prescott | Arizona | $1,637 | 29.7% |
| 50 | Hudspeth County | Texas | $973 | 29.7% |
Methodology Notes
Rent burden uses HUD's 2-bedroom FMR (annualized) divided by Census Bureau median household income for the county. Counties with very small rental populations are excluded because the FMR sample becomes unreliable. Burden figures lag rent figures by 12-18 months because the Census Bureau publishes ACS income tables on a delayed schedule.
For the full step-by-step calculation, including how HUD ages ACS base rents using BLS CPI rent indexes and how rent burden is paired with Census income data, see the RentIndex methodology page. We do not adjust HUD\'s figures; the rents and rent-burden calculations on this page reflect federal published data exactly as released.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is rent burden?
Rent burden is the share of household income that goes to rent. RentIndex calculates it as annual 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent divided by Census ACS median household income. HUD considers households spending more than 30% of income on rent to be "cost burdened" and more than 50% to be "severely cost burdened."
Which county has the highest rent burden?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has the highest rent burden on this list at 46.3%, meaning a household earning the local median would spend that share of pre-tax income on a 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent.
Why is rent burden so high in some counties?
High-burden counties cluster in resort economies, coastal markets, and regions where local wages have not kept pace with housing costs. Rent burden is especially severe in counties with large retiree populations, seasonal economies, or service-heavy job markets paired with tight housing supply.
Does HUD use rent burden to qualify families for assistance?
Yes. Federal housing programs use the 30% and 50% thresholds (cost burdened and severely cost burdened) as core eligibility criteria. Counties with high rent burden typically have larger Section 8 voucher programs, longer waitlists, and more demand for HUD-funded housing assistance.
Is rent burden the same as the 30% rule?
They're related but not identical. The 30% rule is a guideline saying households should spend no more than 30% of gross income on housing. Rent burden measures whether they actually do (or would, at typical rents). When rent burden exceeds 30%, the 30% rule is no longer achievable at local market rents.
Other Rankings
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Fair Market Rents — public domain; huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Income figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Last refreshed April 2026.