County FMR · HUD FY2026

Clarke County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Clarke County, MS - 18% below the US average.

$783
1-bedroom FMR
$867
2-bedroom FMR
-10.0%
YoY change
-18%
vs US avg

The verdict

Clarke is the 35th most expensive of 82 counties in Mississippi by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #158 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has fallen 10.0% since FY 2025, a sharp move relative to most counties.

#158
most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#35
most expensive of 82 in Mississippi (2BR)
+0%
vs the state average
$31,320
income to afford it (30% rule)

General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.6%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (43.1%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Clarke County, MS. Verify with HUD →

The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Clarke County, Mississippi is $783 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $867/mo and a studio is $750/mo. This is 18% lower than the national average of $959 and 0% above the Mississippi average of $782.

Rent decreased10.0% from FY 2025 ($870), declining against the trend. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $31,320/year.

Observed renter burden: 32.4% of the 996 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 Mississippi. Population: 15,553. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-3.2%, Census ACS). That's slower than Mississippi's statewide growth of -1.2% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area CLARKE·COUNTY·MS·MS

Clarke County, MS: $783/mo 1BR · #158 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA MS
  • 1BR-FMR $783
  • 2BR-FMR $867
  • RANK-LOW #158
  • YOY-DOWN -10.0%
  • VSUS-BELOW -18%
  • VS-ST-NEAR +0% MS
  • INC-MID 20%
  • POP-SMALL 16K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Hinds County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $705–$861
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Hinds ($314 1BR gap)

Read with: Section 8 housing guide

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $751 · US avg: $893
$750/mo
↓ 10.0% YoY -0% vs state -16% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $782 · US avg: $959
$783/mo
↓ 10.0% YoY +0% vs state -18% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $924 · US avg: $1,175
$867/mo
↓ 10.0% YoY -6% vs state -26% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,177 · US avg: $1,525
$1,044/mo
↓ 10.0% YoY -11% vs state -32% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,295 · US avg: $1,756
$1,150/mo
↓ 9.9% YoY -11% vs state -35% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $833
$750
$-83 (-10.0%)
1 Bedroom $870
$783
$-87 (-10.0%)
2 Bedroom $963
$867
$-96 (-10.0%)
3 Bedroom $1,160
$1,044
$-116 (-10.0%)
4 Bedroom $1,277
$1,150
$-127 (-9.9%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
19.5%
Affordable
Need $30,000/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
20.4%
Affordable
Need $31,320/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
22.6%
Affordable
Need $34,680/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
27.2%
Affordable
Need $41,760/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
30%
Affordable
Need $46,000/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%22.6%
Clarke County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $46,054 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Mississippi rent burden →

Where Clarke sits among every US county

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

$867 higher than 5% 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 Clarke compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Mississippi counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Clarke is highlighted. Nearby Mississippi counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: DeSoto County ($1,154), Hinds County ($1,097), Rankin County ($1,097), Madison County ($1,097), Jackson County ($951), Harrison County ($923), Clarke County (this county) ($783).

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 $783/mo, most of these Mississippi occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.

Occupation MS Salary Rent Burden Verdict
General & Operations Managers $88,290 10.6% Affordable
Software Developers $86,460 10.9% Affordable
Registered Nurses $74,470 12.6% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $64,170 14.6% Affordable
Electricians $57,300 16.4% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $50,700 18.5% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $48,440 19.4% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $45,610 20.6% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $39,120 24% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $38,210 24.6% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $35,580 26.4% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $27,810 33.8% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $27,610 34% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $22,280 42.2% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $21,790 43.1% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Mississippi) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Clarke (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 50.6% overall, from $520 to $783. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 18.0% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.

$500$600$700$800$900 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $783
Clarke County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↓10.0% $750 $783 $867
FY 2025 ↑5.5% $833 $870 $963
FY 2024 ↑18.0% $795 $825 $926
FY 2023 ↑12.9% $663 $699 $790
FY 2022 ↑15.5% $576 $619 $705
FY 2021 ↑3.1% $535 $536 $684
FY 2020 $492 $520 $657
Total change (6yr): +50.6%
Annualized: +7.1%/yr
1 BR: $520 → $783

Part of the Meridian, MS Micro Area

Clarke County is a outlying county of the Meridian, MS micropolitan statistical area, alongside 1 other micro-area county.

Clarke County ranks #2 of 2 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Lauderdale County ($812), Clarke County (this county) ($783).

Lauderdale County
1 BR: $812/mo
Clarke County (this county)
1 BR: $783/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Clarke County, both outside Mississippi 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 MS (FY2026).

Cleburne County
AL · 2 BR $867/mo
Barren County
KY · 2 BR $868/mo
Graves County
KY · 2 BR $866/mo
Whitley County
KY · 2 BR $866/mo

Similar rent burden

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

North Slope Borough
AK · 22.6% of income · 2 BR $1,625/mo
Texas County
OK · 22.6% of income · 2 BR $1,116/mo
Nash County
NC · 22.6% of income · 2 BR $1,143/mo
Ray County
MO · 22.6% of income · 2 BR $1,358/mo

Nearby Counties in Mississippi

Largest counties by population in Mississippi

Showing the 8 largest of 81 other counties in Mississippi.

Hinds County
1 BR: $1,097/mo Pop: 226,541
Harrison County
1 BR: $923/mo Pop: 208,748
DeSoto County
1 BR: $1,154/mo Pop: 186,214
Rankin County
1 BR: $1,097/mo Pop: 157,185
Jackson County
1 BR: $951/mo Pop: 143,721
Madison County
1 BR: $1,097/mo Pop: 109,257
Lee County
1 BR: $852/mo Pop: 83,343
Forrest County
1 BR: $888/mo Pop: 77,917
View all counties in Mississippi →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Clarke County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Clarke County is $783 per month. A 2-bedroom is $867 and a studio is $750.
How does Clarke County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Clarke County is 18% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $783 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Clarke County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Clarke County's 2-bedroom FMR of $867 ranks #158 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 Clarke County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $31,320 ($2,610/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Clarke County.
Is rent going up or down in Clarke County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Clarke County decreased by 10.0% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $870 to $783.
Which jobs can afford rent in Clarke County? ▼
Based on Mississippi BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like General and Operations Managers, Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $783/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Clarke County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Clarke County went from $520 in FY 2020 to $783 in FY 2026, a total change of +50.6% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Clarke County? ▼
In Clarke County, the FY 2026 FMR of $783/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 Clarke County? ▼
For Clarke County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($783/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.