Rent Ceiling Pressure by ZIP: Fair Market Rent Against Income (2026)
The rent-ceiling card sets HUD's fair market rent, by bedroom count, against the ZIP's median household income. FMR is the payment standard a voucher pays up to and the benchmark many lenders use for rent underwriting, so the share of income it consumes is the ceiling pressure on every rental in the ZIP. This report ranks the ZIPs where the two-bedroom FMR takes the largest share of income and gives the national averages.
- Across 30,547 ZIPs with income data the average two-bedroom FMR is $1,270 a month and takes 21.6% of median income on the rent-ceiling card.
- 3,202 ZIPs have an FMR share above thirty percent of income and 381 above fifty.
- The average value-to-annual-rent ratio is 17.0; 10454 in Bronx County, NY tops the rent-ceiling table at 138.5% with a two-bedroom FMR of $2,780.
- Rent-burden shares on the card are Census measures of households already paying over thirty and fifty percent.
rent-ceiling-fmr: the rent-ceiling card figures as of 2026-10-20; source HUD fair market rents and Census income and rent-burden figures by ZIP.
| ZIP (county, state) | FMR share of income | FMR 2-BR | Median income | Rent burden 30%+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10454 (Bronx, NY) | 138.5% | $2,780 | $24,086 | 56.7% |
| 10453 (Bronx, NY) | 100.5% | $2,780 | $33,186 | 56.7% |
| 10456 (Bronx, NY) | 95.4% | $2,780 | $34,954 | 56.7% |
| 01901 (Essex, MA) | 94.3% | $2,837 | $36,119 | 53.1% |
| 10455 (Bronx, NY) | 92.4% | $2,780 | $36,115 | 56.7% |
| 10460 (Bronx, NY) | 91.9% | $2,780 | $36,309 | 56.7% |
| 70112 (Orleans, LA) | 91.4% | $1,478 | $19,395 | 52.5% |
| 77446 (Waller, TX) | 88.4% | $1,529 | $20,766 | 38.6% |
| 11239 (Kings, NY) | 87.8% | $2,780 | $38,015 | 48.6% |
| 10459 (Bronx, NY) | 87.8% | $2,780 | $38,006 | 56.7% |
ZIPs where two-bedroom FMR takes the largest share of income (1,000+ units, income $15K+) (rent-ceiling-fmr, as of 2026-10-20)
ZIPs with the hardest rent ceiling (rent-ceiling-fmr)
10454 in Bronx County, NY: FMR share 138.5%, two-bedroom $2,780, income $24,086, burden 56.7%; 10453 in Bronx County, NY: FMR share 100.5%, two-bedroom $2,780, income $33,186, burden 56.7%; 10456 in Bronx County, NY: FMR share 95.4%, two-bedroom $2,780, income $34,954, burden 56.7%; 01901 in Essex County, MA: FMR share 94.3%, two-bedroom $2,837, income $36,119, burden 53.1%; 10455 in Bronx County, NY: FMR share 92.4%, two-bedroom $2,780, income $36,115, burden 56.7%; 10460 in Bronx County, NY: FMR share 91.9%, two-bedroom $2,780, income $36,309, burden 56.7%.
What rent-ceiling-fmr measures
The card shows FMR for studio to four-bedroom units, the value-to-annual-rent ratio of the ZIP, FMR as a share of median income, and the Census rent-burden shares at thirty and fifty percent of income.
How rent-ceiling-fmr is computed
FMR is HUD's annual fair market rent for the ZIP's metropolitan area or small-area FMR where published. Income is the Census median household income; the share is twelve months of two-bedroom FMR divided by income. The value-to-rent ratio is median home value divided by twelve months of two-bedroom FMR.
How to use rent-ceiling-fmr on a deal
A high FMR share of income says the voucher ceiling is already above what local wages support, so market rents are capped by the subsidy, not by demand; a low share says rents have room. The value-to-rent ratio is the quick gross-yield check: a ratio near fifteen is a yield market, above twenty-five is an appreciation market.
Read rent-ceiling-fmr on your ZIPs
The affordability radar ranks ZIPs by the same ceiling; the live board shows the card beside each parcel's value.
Rent-ceiling-fmr refreshes with its source table.
Rent Ceiling Pressure by ZIP: Fair Market Rent Against Income (2026): questions
Is FMR the rent I can charge?
It is the voucher payment standard and a lender benchmark, not a legal cap on market rent; in dense voucher ZIPs it behaves like a ceiling.
Why does my ZIP show the metro FMR?
HUD publishes small-area FMRs for some metros only; elsewhere the metro FMR applies to every ZIP.
Which bedroom count drives the share?
The two-bedroom FMR, HUD's reference unit.
More on the rent-ceiling card
Rent Ceiling Pressure by ZIP: Fair Market Rent Against Income (2026) (rent-ceiling-fmr) is computed from HUD fair market rents and Census income and rent-burden figures by ZIP; the rent-ceiling card is research (rent-ceiling-fmr), not legal advice; nothing on the rent-ceiling-fmr page is tax or rent-ceiling-fmr investment advice, so verify every rent-ceiling-fmr figure with its issuing agency before acting.