County FMR · HUD FY2026

Butler County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Butler County, AL - 33% below the US average.

$638
1-bedroom FMR
$837
2-bedroom FMR
-6.7%
YoY change
-33%
vs US avg

The verdict

Butler is the 28th cheapest of 67 counties in Alabama by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #32 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has fallen 6.7% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.

#32
most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#28
cheapest of 67 in Alabama (2BR)
-17%
vs the state average
$25,520
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (6.8%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (33.6%); 13 of 15 common occupations here can afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent without exceeding the 30% threshold.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Butler County, AL. Verify with HUD →

Butler County, Alabama carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $638 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $837/mo and a studio is $622/mo. That's 33% below the national benchmark of $959 and 17% below the Alabama average of $772.

Rent decreased6.7% from FY 2025 ($684), declining against the trend. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $25,520/year.

Observed renter burden: 35.7% of the 2,294 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 Alabama. Population: 18,981. Population declined 6.1% 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 Alabama's statewide growth of +3.9% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area BUTLER·COUNTY·AL·AL

Butler County, AL: $638/mo 1BR · #32 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA AL
  • 1BR-FMR $638
  • 2BR-FMR $837
  • RANK-LOW #32
  • YOY-DOWN -6.7%
  • VSUS-LOW -33%
  • VS-ST-LOW -17% AL
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-SMALL 19K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Jefferson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $574–$702
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Jefferson ($517 1BR gap)

Read with: Section 8 housing guide

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $716 · US avg: $893
$622/mo
↑ 3.7% YoY -13% vs state -30% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $772 · US avg: $959
$638/mo
↓ 6.7% YoY -17% vs state -33% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $936 · US avg: $1,175
$837/mo
↑ 3.5% YoY -11% vs state -29% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,206 · US avg: $1,525
$1,004/mo
↑ 3.0% YoY -17% vs state -34% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,381 · US avg: $1,756
$1,139/mo
↑ 4.6% YoY -18% vs state -35% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $600
$622
+$22 (+3.7%)
1 Bedroom $684
$638
$-46 (-6.7%)
2 Bedroom $809
$837
+$28 (+3.5%)
3 Bedroom $975
$1,004
+$29 (+3.0%)
4 Bedroom $1,089
$1,139
+$50 (+4.6%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
16.6%
Affordable
Need $24,880/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
17.1%
Affordable
Need $25,520/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
22.4%
Affordable
Need $33,480/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
26.8%
Affordable
Need $40,160/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
30.5%
Burdened
Need $45,560/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%22.4%
Butler County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $44,881 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Alabama rent burden →

Where Butler sits among every US county

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

$837 higher than 1% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). This entry sits in this band. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). Above this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). Above this entry. $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 Butler compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Alabama counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Butler is highlighted. Nearby Alabama counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Baldwin County ($1,200), Jefferson County ($1,155), Madison County ($1,136), Tuscaloosa County ($972), Mobile County ($919), Montgomery County ($870), Butler County (this county) ($638).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

With a below-average 1-bedroom at $638/mo, most of these Alabama occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.

Occupation AL Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $113,020 6.8% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $106,330 7.2% Affordable
Registered Nurses $71,040 10.8% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $71,070 10.8% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $59,850 12.8% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $53,850 14.2% Affordable
Electricians $52,420 14.6% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $50,120 15.3% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $46,060 16.6% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $37,690 20.3% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $37,730 20.3% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $29,430 26% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $29,120 26.3% Affordable
Fast Food & Counter Workers $23,490 32.6% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $22,790 33.6% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Alabama) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Butler (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 22.5% overall, from $521 to $638. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 14.5% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.

$500$600$700$800 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $638
Butler County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↓6.7% $622 $638 $837
FY 2025 ↓10.0% $600 $684 $809
FY 2024 ↑14.5% $665 $760 $888
FY 2023 ↑7.3% $576 $664 $761
FY 2022 ↑11.3% $530 $619 $705
FY 2021 ↑6.7% $479 $556 $634
FY 2020 $474 $521 $612
Total change (6yr): +22.5%
Annualized: +3.4%/yr
1 BR: $521 → $638

Where Butler County Ranks in Alabama

Butler County 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 #28 of 67 counties in Alabama. Nearest by rank: Choctaw County ($778), Randolph County ($778), Marengo County ($783), Clarke County ($791), Perry County ($803), Talladega County ($814), Sumter County ($827), Dallas County ($836), Butler County (this county) ($837), Wilcox County ($843), Cherokee County ($844), Tallapoosa County ($857), Cleburne County ($867), Henry County ($878), Cullman County ($879), Walker County ($886), Pike County ($912).

Choctaw County
2 BR: $778/mo
Randolph County
2 BR: $778/mo
Marengo County
2 BR: $783/mo
Clarke County
2 BR: $791/mo
Perry County
2 BR: $803/mo
Talladega County
2 BR: $814/mo
Sumter County
2 BR: $827/mo
Dallas County
2 BR: $836/mo
Butler County (this county)
2 BR: $837/mo
Wilcox County
2 BR: $843/mo
Cherokee County
2 BR: $844/mo
Tallapoosa County
2 BR: $857/mo
Cleburne County
2 BR: $867/mo
Henry County
2 BR: $878/mo
Cullman County
2 BR: $879/mo
Walker County
2 BR: $886/mo
Pike County
2 BR: $912/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Butler County, both outside Alabama 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 AL (FY2026).

St. Landry Parish
LA · 2 BR $834/mo
Vermilion Parish
LA · 2 BR $834/mo
Washington Parish
LA · 2 BR $834/mo
Evangeline Parish
LA · 2 BR $834/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Poinsett County
AR · 22.4% of income · 2 BR $880/mo
Nassau County
FL · 22.4% of income · 2 BR $1,658/mo
Brown County
NE · 22.4% of income · 2 BR $961/mo
Sullivan County
NY · 22.4% of income · 2 BR $1,302/mo

Nearby Counties in Alabama

Largest counties by population in Alabama

Showing the 8 largest of 66 other counties in Alabama.

Jefferson County
1 BR: $1,155/mo Pop: 672,265
Mobile County
1 BR: $919/mo Pop: 413,878
Madison County
1 BR: $1,136/mo Pop: 389,781
Baldwin County
1 BR: $1,200/mo Pop: 233,420
Tuscaloosa County
1 BR: $972/mo Pop: 231,558
Montgomery County
1 BR: $870/mo Pop: 228,132
Shelby County
1 BR: $1,155/mo Pop: 223,916
Lee County
1 BR: $1,077/mo Pop: 175,126
View all counties in Alabama →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Butler County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Butler County is $638 per month. A 2-bedroom is $837 and a studio is $622.
How does Butler County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Butler County is 33% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $638 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Butler County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Butler County's 2-bedroom FMR of $837 ranks #32 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the lowest-rent tenth of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Butler County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $25,520 ($2,127/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Butler County.
Is rent going up or down in Butler County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Butler County decreased by 6.7% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $684 to $638.
Which jobs can afford rent in Butler County? ▼
Based on Alabama BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $638/mo. 13 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Butler County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Butler County went from $521 in FY 2020 to $638 in FY 2026, a total change of +22.5% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Butler County? ▼
In Butler County, the FY 2026 FMR of $638/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 Butler County? ▼
For Butler County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($638/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.