FMRFinder

North Carolina fair market rent by county

North Carolina · FY2027 · 100 listed places · 83 HUD FMR areas

$1,145median 2BR

From $1,012 in Wilkes County to $1,866 in Buncombe County

FY2026 → FY2027: median +6.3% · 90 up, 9 down, 1 unchanged · largest Cumberland County +18.0% · all states

Unweighted median of the listed county, county-equivalent and town 2-bedroom FMRs; places sharing a HUD FMR area have the same value. This is not a statewide estimate of rents paid. U.S. county median $1,056. Effective October 1, 2026.

Income needed to afford it

At HUD's affordability benchmark — rent and utilities at no more than 30% of income — a 2-bedroom at the Fair Market Rent takes about $74,640 a year in Buncombe County and $40,480 in Wilkes County.

UnitMedian FMRIncome neededPer hour
Studio$916$36,640$17.62
1 bedroom$958$38,320$18.42
2 bedrooms$1,145$45,800$22.02
3 bedrooms$1,422$56,880$27.35
4 bedrooms$1,712$68,480$32.92

Income needed = monthly FMR × 12 ÷ 0.30. Per hour = that ÷ 2,080 hours (one full-time job). Medians are across the listed North Carolina places, like the figure above. The FMR is HUD's 40th-percentile gross rent estimate, not the price of any listing.

Highest 2-bedroom first