County FMR · HUD FY2026

Benton County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Benton County, IN - 8% above the US average.

$1,032
1-bedroom FMR
$1,242
2-bedroom FMR
+6.3%
YoY change
+8%
vs US avg

The verdict

Benton is the 21st most expensive of 92 counties in Indiana by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #912 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 6.3% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.

#912
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#21
most expensive of 92 in Indiana (2BR)
+17%
vs the state average
$41,280
income to afford it (30% rule)

General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (11.4%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (43.8%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Benton County, IN. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Benton County, Indiana at $1,032 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,242/mo and a studio is $894/mo. This is 8% higher than the national average of $959 and 17% above the Indiana average of $882.

Rent increased6.3% from FY 2025 ($971), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $41,280/year for a 1-bedroom.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Indiana. Population: 8,709. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+0.5%, Census ACS). That's slower than Indiana's statewide growth of +2.6% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area BENTON·COUNTY·IN·IN

Benton County, IN: $1,032/mo 1BR · #912 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA IN
  • 1BR-FMR $1,032
  • 2BR-FMR $1,242
  • RANK-MID #912
  • YOY-SURGE +6.3%
  • VSUS-NEAR +8%
  • VS-ST-HIGH +17% IN
  • INC-MID 20%
  • POP-SMALL 9K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Marion County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $929–$1,135
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Marion ($235 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $816 · US avg: $893
$894/mo
↑ 7.6% YoY +10% vs state +0% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $882 · US avg: $959
$1,032/mo
↑ 6.3% YoY +17% vs state +8% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,096 · US avg: $1,175
$1,242/mo
↑ 7.0% YoY +13% vs state +6% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,391 · US avg: $1,525
$1,489/mo
↑ 6.4% YoY +7% vs state -2% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,590 · US avg: $1,756
$1,992/mo
↑ 13.8% YoY +25% vs state +13% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $831
$894
+$63 (+7.6%)
1 Bedroom $971
$1,032
+$61 (+6.3%)
2 Bedroom $1,161
$1,242
+$81 (+7.0%)
3 Bedroom $1,399
$1,489
+$90 (+6.4%)
4 Bedroom $1,750
$1,992
+$242 (+13.8%)

Rent Burden Analysis

How much of household income goes to rent in Benton County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.

Studio
17.4%
Affordable
Need $35,760/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
20%
Affordable
Need $41,280/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
24.1%
Affordable
Need $49,680/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
28.9%
Affordable
Need $59,560/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
38.7%
Burdened
Need $79,680/yr for 30% rule
How we calculate this

Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.

0%100%National avg22%24.1%
Benton County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $61,811 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Indiana rent burden →

Where Benton sits among every US county

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties

$1,242 Top 29% higher than 71% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 29 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 40 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 13 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 9 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 15 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. This county $600 $4,400 every US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

How Benton compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Indiana counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Benton is highlighted. Nearby Indiana counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Marion County ($1,267), Hamilton County ($1,267), St. Joseph County ($1,105), Lake County ($1,082), Benton County (this county) ($1,032), Elkhart County ($992), Allen County ($916).

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $1,032/mo compares to Indiana salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation IN Salary Rent Burden Verdict
General & Operations Managers $108,410 11.4% Affordable
Software Developers $103,570 12% Affordable
Registered Nurses $80,740 15.3% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $77,410 16% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $71,540 17.3% Affordable
Electricians $65,480 18.9% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,090 20.6% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $58,370 21.2% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $50,690 24.4% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $41,600 29.8% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $40,020 30.9% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $35,240 35.1% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $30,460 40.7% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $30,300 40.9% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $28,290 43.8% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Indiana) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

7-year Fair Market Rent history for Benton County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Benton (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 43.1% overall, from $721 to $1,032. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 11.8% (FY 2022).

$700$800$900$1,000$1,100 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,032
Benton County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑6.3% $894 $1,032 $1,242
FY 2025 ↑6.9% $831 $971 $1,161
FY 2024 ↓1.0% $778 $908 $1,069
FY 2023 ↑8.9% $794 $917 $1,071
FY 2022 ↑11.8% $734 $842 $981
FY 2021 ↑4.4% $653 $753 $872
FY 2020 $620 $721 $837
Total change (6yr): +43.1%
Annualized: +6.2%/yr
1 BR: $721 → $1,032

Part of the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN Metro Area

Benton County is a outlying county of the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metropolitan statistical area, alongside 3 other metro-area counties.

Benton County ranks #2 of 4 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Tippecanoe County ($1,032), Benton County (this county) ($1,032), Warren County ($845), Carroll County ($742).

Tippecanoe County
1 BR: $1,032/mo
Benton County (this county)
1 BR: $1,032/mo
Warren County
1 BR: $845/mo
Carroll County
1 BR: $742/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Benton County, both outside Indiana so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.

Similar 2-bedroom FMR

Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside IN (FY2026).

Cache County
UT · 2 BR $1,241/mo
Umatilla County
OR · 2 BR $1,241/mo
Tooele County
UT · 2 BR $1,241/mo
Lafayette County
MS · 2 BR $1,243/mo

Similar rent burden

Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside IN).

Luzerne County
PA · 24.1% of income · 2 BR $1,252/mo
Jackson County
IL · 24.1% of income · 2 BR $916/mo
Jones County
TX · 24.1% of income · 2 BR $1,276/mo
Kootenai County
ID · 24.1% of income · 2 BR $1,547/mo

Nearby Counties in Indiana

Largest counties by population in Indiana

Showing the 8 largest of 91 other counties in Indiana.

Marion County
1 BR: $1,267/mo Pop: 971,737
Lake County
1 BR: $1,082/mo Pop: 497,682
Allen County
1 BR: $916/mo Pop: 385,456
Hamilton County
1 BR: $1,267/mo Pop: 349,527
St. Joseph County
1 BR: $1,105/mo Pop: 272,388
Elkhart County
1 BR: $992/mo Pop: 206,841
Tippecanoe County
1 BR: $1,032/mo Pop: 186,955
Vanderburgh County
1 BR: $860/mo Pop: 179,900
View all counties in Indiana →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Benton County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Benton County is $1,032 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,242 and a studio is $894.
How does Benton County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Benton County is 8% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,032 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Benton County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Benton County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,242 ranks #912 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Benton County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $41,280 ($3,440/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Benton County.
Is rent going up or down in Benton County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Benton County increased by 6.3% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $971 to $1,032.
Which jobs can afford rent in Benton County? ▼
Based on Indiana BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like General and Operations Managers, Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,032/mo. 10 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Benton County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Benton County went from $721 in FY 2020 to $1,032 in FY 2026, a total change of +43.1% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Benton County? ▼
In Benton County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,032/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Benton County? ▼
For Benton County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,032/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD Fair Market Rents. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county-level fair-market rent estimates by bedroom count. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
  • HUD Income Limits - area median income for affordability calculations. huduser.gov/datasets/il
  • HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) - rent burden and housing-cost distribution. huduser.gov/datasets/cp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - county and metro housing characteristics + median rent. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence - rent inflation by metro. bls.gov/cpi
  • IRS Migration Data (SOI) - interstate migration aggregates affecting county demand. irs.gov/statistics/migration
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - state-level median wages by occupation, used for job affordability analysis. bls.gov/oes

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.