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Average Rent in Wake, North Carolina

By the AverageRentCost Editorial Team · Last updated: October 2026

The FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom home in Wake is $1,689 a month, on HUD's gross-rent scale that includes utilities. Wake sits in the Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA, and its figures place it #12 among the 100 county rent listings published for North Carolina — $544 (48%) above the North Carolina county median. With a 2024 population of about 1,178,653, it is one of the rental markets we track in depth: below is the full bedroom-by-bedroom table, the income each size implies under the 30% rule, and how the county compares with its state and the country.

$1,6892-bedroom FMR, FY2027 (benchmark size)

$1,489Efficiency FMR, FY2027

$2,8234-bedroom FMR, FY2027

$67,560Annual income for the 2-bedroom at the 30% rule

FY2027 Fair Market Rents in Wake

Unit size	Monthly FMR	Rent over a year	Income needed (30% rule)
Efficiency (0 BR)	$1,489	$17,868	$59,560
1 bedroom	$1,552	$18,624	$62,080
2 bedrooms	$1,689	$20,268	$67,560
3 bedrooms	$2,103	$25,236	$84,120
4 bedrooms	$2,823	$33,876	$112,920

The gaps between sizes tell you how this market prices space. In Wake, stepping up from an efficiency to a one-bedroom adds $63 a month; stepping up from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom adds $137 a month; and stepping up from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom adds $414 a month. Families feel those steps directly, because voucher size standards and the 30% math both key off the bedroom count: a household approved for a 2-bedroom voucher that rents a 3-bedroom pays the difference itself unless the unit still passes the agency's rent-reasonableness test.

The 30% rule in Wake

Housing is considered affordable when gross rent takes no more than 30% of gross household income. At the FY2027 2-bedroom FMR of $1,689, that means an income of about $67,560 a year — $20,268 of rent spread over twelve months. A 1-bedroom at $1,552 fits an income of $62,080, while a family-sized 4-bedroom at $2,823 needs $112,920. Remember that FMRs are gross rents: if a lease leaves utilities in the tenant's name, the housing agency applies a utility allowance so the combined cost is what gets compared with the payment standard. For workers, the 2-bedroom figure works out to about $32 an hour at full-time hours — a useful yardstick when weighing a job offer against local rent.

How Wake, North Carolina compares

Against its own state, Wake's 2-bedroom FMR sits above the statewide ACS median gross rent of $1,338, and $544 (48%) above the North Carolina county median. Against the country as a whole it is $671 above the national median area figure of $1,018. The state's priciest county listing is Buncombe at $1,866 and its least expensive is Ashe at $1,012, so Wake sits within the North Carolina range. The full county-by-county table is on the North Carolina average rent page.

Vouchers and Fair Market Rents in Wake

This is a metropolitan rent area. In a small number of the largest metro areas HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code, which housing agencies in those areas must or may use for vouchers; the figures here are the standard area-wide schedule. For Housing Choice Voucher holders, the number that matters day to day is the payment standard: the local housing agency sets it between 90% and 110% of the FMR for each unit size, and the subsidy is calculated from the lower of that standard or the actual gross rent. An FMR is not a rent control and not a quote — homes in Wake lease both above and below these figures — but it is the benchmark every voucher lease is tested against, and a good neutral summary of where the modest end of this market sits. The same figures apply in Franklin, Johnston, which share this rent area.

How to read these figures: Fair Market Rents (FMRs) are gross-rent benchmarks published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Housing Choice Voucher program. They include utilities and are set near the 40th percentile of rents paid by recent movers — they are not advertised asking rents, and the rent on a specific home can be higher or lower. Census ACS medians describe what surveyed renter households reported paying. See our disclaimer for details.

Wake rent questions

What is the Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Wake, NC?

HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom home in Wake (Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA) is $1,689 a month, gross rent including utilities. The efficiency figure is $1,489 and a 4-bedroom is $2,823.

What income do you need for a 2-bedroom in Wake?

At the 30% rule, a 2-bedroom at the FY2027 FMR of $1,689 a month takes an annual income of about $67,560 — roughly $32 an hour full-time. Housing agencies may set voucher payment standards between 90% and 110% of the FMR.

How does Wake compare with the rest of North Carolina?

Its 2-bedroom FMR of $1,689 ranks #12 among 100 county listings in North Carolina, $544 (48%) above the North Carolina county median, and sits above the statewide ACS median gross rent of $1,338.

Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents FY2027 (county-level data file, effective October 1, 2026), huduser.gov; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table B25031 (median gross rent), census.gov. Last verified: October 2026.