County FMR · HUD FY2026
Edgar County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Edgar County, IL - 20% below the US average.
- $768
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $916
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +3.4%
- YoY change
- -20%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Edgar is the 8th cheapest of 102 counties in Illinois by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #473 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #473
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #8
- cheapest of 102 in Illinois (2BR)
- -10%
- vs the state average
- $30,720
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.2%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (28.9%); 15 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 Edgar County, IL. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Edgar County, Illinois at $768 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $916/mo and a studio is $632/mo. This is 20% lower than the national average of $959 and 10% below the Illinois average of $854.
Rent increased3.4% from FY 2025 ($743), outpacing inflation. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $30,720/year.
Observed renter burden: 30.4% of the 2,081 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.
Market slack: The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 1.9%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 4.5% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Illinois. Population: 16,852. Population declined 5.1% 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 Illinois's statewide growth of -1.0% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area EDGAR·COUNTY·IL·IL
Edgar County, IL: $768/mo 1BR · #473 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA IL
- 1BR-FMR $768
- 2BR-FMR $916
- RANK-MID #473
- YOY-UP +3.4%
- VSUS-BELOW -20%
- VS-ST-LOW -10% IL
- INC-ROOM 16%
- POP-SMALL 17K
- PHOTO-NEAR Cook County
- VOUCH-90-110 $691–$845
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Cook ($813 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $597 | $632 | +$35 (+5.9%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $743 | $768 | +$25 (+3.4%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $870 | $916 | +$46 (+5.3%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,187 | $1,226 | +$39 (+3.3%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,325 | $1,405 | +$80 (+6.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Edgar County. 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 Edgar sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$916 higher than 15% 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 Edgar compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Illinois counties
- Cook
Cook County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- DuPage
DuPage County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Lake
Lake County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Will
Will County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Kane
Kane County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- McHenry
McHenry County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Edgar
Edgar County
$768 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Edgar is highlighted. Nearby Illinois counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Cook County ($1,581), DuPage County ($1,581), Lake County ($1,581), Will County ($1,581), Kane County ($1,581), McHenry County ($1,581), Edgar County (this county) ($768).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $768/mo, most of these Illinois occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | IL Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $127,770 | 7.2% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $101,430 | 9.1% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $101,530 | 9.1% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $96,360 | 9.6% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $86,410 | 10.7% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $79,300 | 11.6% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $64,160 | 14.4% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $62,290 | 14.8% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $59,790 | 15.4% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $44,910 | 20.5% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $44,610 | 20.7% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $37,010 | 24.9% | Affordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $35,780 | 25.8% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $34,490 | 26.7% | Affordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $31,900 | 28.9% | Affordable |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Edgar County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Edgar (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 34.5% overall, from $571 to $768. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 7.4% (FY 2021).
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑3.4% | $632 | $768 | $916 |
| FY 2025 ↑5.8% | $597 | $743 | $870 |
| FY 2024 ↑2.5% | $553 | $702 | $807 |
| FY 2023 ↑6.2% | $531 | $685 | $774 |
| FY 2022 ↑5.2% | $503 | $645 | $735 |
| FY 2021 ↑7.4% | $476 | $613 | $700 |
| FY 2020 | $474 | $571 | $698 |
Where Edgar County Ranks in Illinois
Edgar 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 #8 of 102 counties in Illinois. Nearest by rank: Bond County ($916), Carroll County ($916), Cass County ($916), Clay County ($916), Crawford County ($916), Cumberland County ($916), Douglas County ($916), Edgar County (this county) ($916), Edwards County ($916), Effingham County ($916), Fayette County ($916), Ford County ($916), Franklin County ($916), Fulton County ($916), Gallatin County ($916), Hamilton County ($916).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Edgar County, both outside Illinois 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 IL (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside IL).
Nearby Counties in Illinois
Largest counties by population in Illinois
Showing the 8 largest of 101 other counties in Illinois.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Edgar County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Edgar County is $768 per month. A 2-bedroom is $916 and a studio is $632.
How does Edgar County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Edgar County is 20% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $768 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Edgar County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Edgar County's 2-bedroom FMR of $916 ranks #473 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the lower-rent quarter of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Edgar County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $30,720 ($2,560/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Edgar County.
Is rent going up or down in Edgar County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Edgar County increased by 3.4% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $743 to $768.
Which jobs can afford rent in Edgar County?
Based on Illinois BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers can afford a 1-bedroom at $768/mo. 15 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Edgar County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Edgar County went from $571 in FY 2020 to $768 in FY 2026, a total change of +34.5% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Edgar County?
In Edgar County, the FY 2026 FMR of $768/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 Edgar County?
For Edgar County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($768/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Edgar County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 1.9%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
What is the unemployment rate in Edgar County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 4.5% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Edgar's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.
- Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $768 implies about $30,720/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- Illinois counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Cook
- See where Edgar ranks nationally on rent. National rankings
Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Actual asking rents can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.
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.