Richland County, SC

Within the selected direct-evidence set assigned to Richland County, Zillow’s June 2026 ZORI—the typical observed asking-rent index—runs from $1,161 in ZIP 29210 to $1,822 in ZIP 29063, a $661 spread, with a $1,471 median. That is a material range around the county Zillow reading of $1,502 rather than a single local price point. The practical question is whether a current property’s asking rent, unit size and lease costs fit a household budget at the relevant point in this selected distribution; the figures do not represent every county ZIP or every listing. The endpoints make comparison shopping across the selected set useful before comparing property-level characteristics.

HUD’s two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a $1,276 administrative standard, not an asking-rent measure. At the selected low end, ZORI is 9.0% below that benchmark; at the high end, it is 42.8% above. In contrast, ACS five-year ZCTA median gross rent is a survey estimate for a different period and concept: across the selected ZCTAs, it ranges from $1,031 to $1,653, while the county ACS figure is $1,228. ZORI represents a typical observed asking-rent index; the ACS figure is not a current asking-rent quote for a given property. These series answer different questions, so neither ACS values nor the HUD standard should be blended into a Zillow asking-rent estimate.

Affordability and vacancy should be read as a survey-based trade-off, not as a signal of current listing availability. Across the selected ZCTAs, the ACS share of renter households with rent burdens of 30% or more spans 45.3% to 61.8%, while ACS vacancy ranges from 3.4% to 22.6%; the county burden share is 58.5%. The 29201 ZIP/ZCTA match pairs the highest burden share and vacancy rate. Its $1,679 ZORI corresponds to $67,160 in annual income at a 30% rent-to-income rule, versus a $32,297 ZCTA median household income. That gap is a budget-screening flag in aggregate data, not evidence about any particular applicant, unit, or landlord.

Coverage is limited to the selected direct-ZORI matches: they encompass 62,813 renter households, but the direct-evidence set is explicitly not an exhaustive county or area inventory. ACS ZCTAs are statistical areas rather than USPS delivery ZIPs, and ZIPs crossing county lines were assigned by the largest HUD residential-address share; among those shown, that share ranges from 72.9% to 100%. Before acting on any range, verify the property’s current advertised rent, bedroom count, utilities and other recurring charges, lease term, availability, and its actual location and county assignment.