County FMR · HUD FY2026
Bienville Parish Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Bienville Parish, LA - 26% below the US average.
- $707
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $834
- 2-bedroom FMR
- -9.9%
- YoY change
- -26%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Bienville is the 2nd cheapest of 64 counties in Louisiana by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #32 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has fallen 9.9% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.
- #32
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #2
- cheapest of 64 in Louisiana (2BR)
- -15%
- vs the state average
- $28,280
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (8.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (36.7%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Bienville Parish, LA. Verify with HUD →
Bienville Parish, Louisiana carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $707 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $834/mo and a studio is $601/mo. That's 26% below the national benchmark of $959 and 15% below the Louisiana average of $832.
Rent decreased9.9% from FY 2025 ($785), declining against the trend. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $28,280/year.
Observed renter burden: 34.6% of the 1,594 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Louisiana. Population: 12,958. Population declined 6.6% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels. That's slower than Louisiana's statewide growth of -0.9% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area BIENVILLE·PARISH·LA·LA
Bienville Parish, LA: $707/mo 1BR · #32 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA LA
- 1BR-FMR $707
- 2BR-FMR $834
- RANK-LOW #32
- YOY-DOWN -9.9%
- VSUS-LOW -26%
- VS-ST-LOW -15% LA
- INC-MID 24%
- POP-SMALL 13K
- PHOTO-NEAR East Baton Rouge P
- VOUCH-90-110 $636–$778
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: East Baton Rouge ($357 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $666 | $601 | $-65 (-9.8%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $785 | $707 | $-78 (-9.9%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $903 | $834 | $-69 (-7.6%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,265 | $1,160 | $-105 (-8.3%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,516 | $1,399 | $-117 (-7.7%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Bienville Parish. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.
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.
Where Bienville sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$834 higher than 1% of 3,145 counties
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 Bienville compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Louisiana counties
- St. Tammany
St. Tammany Parish
$1,130 1BR FMR / mo
- Jefferson
Jefferson Parish
$1,113 1BR FMR / mo
- Orleans
Orleans Parish
$1,113 1BR FMR / mo
- East Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge Parish
$1,064 1BR FMR / mo
- Caddo
Caddo Parish
$982 1BR FMR / mo
- Lafayette
Lafayette Parish
$898 1BR FMR / mo
- Bienville
Bienville Parish
$707 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Bienville is highlighted. Nearby Louisiana counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: St. Tammany Parish ($1,130), Jefferson Parish ($1,113), Orleans Parish ($1,113), East Baton Rouge Parish ($1,064), Caddo Parish ($982), Lafayette Parish ($898), Bienville Parish (this county) ($707).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $707/mo, most of these Louisiana occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | LA Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $102,290 | 8.3% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $102,060 | 8.3% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $78,880 | 10.8% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $69,540 | 12.2% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $59,590 | 14.2% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $52,280 | 16.2% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $50,580 | 16.8% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $48,770 | 17.4% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $47,580 | 17.8% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,700 | 21.9% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $35,890 | 23.6% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $28,820 | 29.4% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $27,940 | 30.4% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $27,040 | 31.4% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $23,110 | 36.7% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Bienville Parish. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Bienville (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 13.3% overall, from $624 to $707. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 11.0% (FY 2024).
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↓9.9% | $601 | $707 | $834 |
| FY 2025 ↑8.0% | $666 | $785 | $903 |
| FY 2024 ↑11.0% | $615 | $727 | $822 |
| FY 2023 ↑7.2% | $567 | $655 | $740 |
| FY 2022 ↓3.9% | $529 | $611 | $696 |
| FY 2021 ↑1.9% | $568 | $636 | $725 |
| FY 2020 | $576 | $624 | $710 |
Where Bienville Parish Ranks in Louisiana
Bienville Parish is not part of any federally-designated metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area -- an independent rental market not administratively tied to a larger urban core. By 2-bedroom FMR, it ranks #2 of 64 counties in Louisiana. Nearest by rank: Allen Parish ($834), Bienville Parish (this county) ($834), Caldwell Parish ($834), Catahoula Parish ($834), Claiborne Parish ($834), Concordia Parish ($834), East Carroll Parish ($834), Evangeline Parish ($834), Franklin Parish ($834), Jackson Parish ($834).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Bienville Parish, both outside Louisiana 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 LA (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside LA).
Nearby Counties in Louisiana
Largest counties by population in Louisiana
Showing the 8 largest of 63 other counties in Louisiana.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Bienville Parish? ▼
How does Bienville Parish rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Bienville Parish rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Bienville Parish? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Bienville Parish? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Bienville Parish? ▼
How much has rent changed in Bienville Parish over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Bienville Parish? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Bienville Parish? ▼
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.
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.