Our Data Sources
US Rent Prices uses only authoritative, verifiable data sources. This page provides complete information about where our data comes from, how it is collected, and how you can verify it yourself.
Data Source Summary
| Source | Data Type | Update Frequency | Current Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Fair Market Rent | Primary rent data | Annually | FY 2025 |
| Census Bureau ACS | Demographics, median income | Annually | 2018-2022 5-Year |
| Zillow Research (ZORI) | Market trend context | Monthly | Current month |
| Bureau of Labor Statistics | Rent inflation (CPI) | Monthly | Current month |
| OMB CBSA Definitions | Geographic boundaries | As updated | 2023 Delineations |
Primary Data Source
HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
What It Is
Fair Market Rent is the official government estimate of rental costs used by housing authorities nationwide to administer the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). It represents the 40th percentile of gross rents for standard-quality rental housing.
Why We Use It
HUD FMR is the most authoritative, comprehensive, and methodologically consistent rent dataset for the United States. It covers every metropolitan area using the same methodology, making cross-city comparisons reliable and meaningful.
Key Characteristics
Coverage: All 384 metropolitan statistical areas + non-metro counties
Bedroom Types: Studio, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, 4BR
Methodology: 40th percentile of gross rents
Current Version: FY 2025
Effective Date: October 1, 2024
Update Frequency: Annually (September/October)
How HUD Calculates FMR
- Collect base rent data from American Community Survey (Census Bureau)
- Weight rents from "recent movers" (moved in past 15 months) more heavily
- Apply local and national rent trend factors to adjust forward
- Add estimated utility costs (electricity, gas, water)
- Set FMR at the 40th percentile of resulting gross rent distribution
Secondary Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau - American Community Survey
Demographic and housing statistics
Data We Use
- - Median household income by metro area
- - Rental vacancy rates
- - Median gross rent (for context)
- - Housing age distribution
- - Renter vs. owner occupancy rates
Source Details
- - Dataset: ACS 5-Year Estimates
- - Current Version: 2018-2022
- - Update Frequency: Annual
- - Sample Size: ~3.5M addresses/year
Zillow Research - Observed Rent Index (ZORI)
Real-time market trend data
How We Use It
- - Month-over-month rent trend context
- - Year-over-year market direction
- - Supplementing annual HUD data
- - Market volatility indicators
Source Details
- - Methodology: Repeat-rent index
- - Update Frequency: Monthly
- - Coverage: 900+ metros
- - Note: Used for trends only, not primary data
Bureau of Labor Statistics - Consumer Price Index
Rent inflation tracking
Data We Reference
- - Shelter component of CPI
- - Rent of primary residence
- - National rent inflation rates
- - Regional rent price changes
Source Details
- - Update Frequency: Monthly
- - Coverage: National + 4 regions
- - Use: Inflation context only
Geographic Reference Data
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) - CBSA Definitions
We use official OMB metropolitan area definitions to ensure our geographic categorizations align with federal standards. This ensures our city-to-metro mappings are accurate and consistent with HUD's data organization.
What It Defines
- - Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)
- - Micropolitan Statistical Areas
- - Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs)
- - Principal cities within each area
Why It Matters
- - Ensures consistent geographic boundaries
- - Matches HUD data organization
- - Enables accurate cross-source comparisons
- - Provides authoritative city-metro mapping
Data We Do NOT Use
To maintain data quality and reliability, we explicitly avoid the following data sources:
- Web-scraped listing data from rental websites
- User-submitted or crowdsourced rent data
- Proprietary datasets without verifiable methodology
- Machine learning "predictions" or AI estimates
- Interpolated or extrapolated data
- Data from paid data vendors without clear sourcing
- Social media or forum-based rent information
- Real estate agent or landlord self-reported data
Verify Our Data Yourself
All of our primary data comes from public sources. Here is how you can verify any data point on our website:
Step 1: Access HUD FMR Data
Visit huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html and download the current fiscal year data file.
Step 2: Find Your Metro Area
Look up the metropolitan area by name or CBSA code. The data file includes FMR values for efficiency (studio), 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, and 4BR units.
Step 3: Compare Values
The values you see in the HUD data file should exactly match what we display on our corresponding city page. If you find any discrepancy, please contact us immediately.
Related Information
Questions About Our Data Sources?
If you have questions about our data sources, notice any discrepancies, or want to suggest additional authoritative sources, please contact us.
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