County FMR · HUD FY2026

Elko County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Elko County, NV - 22% above the US average.

$1,166
1-bedroom FMR
$1,530
2-bedroom FMR
+6.2%
YoY change
+22%
vs US avg

The verdict

Elko is the 6th most expensive of 17 counties in Nevada by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #440 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 6.2% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.

#440
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#6
most expensive of 17 in Nevada (2BR)
+3%
vs the state average
$46,640
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.8%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (48%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Elko County, NV. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Elko County, Nevada at $1,166 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,530/mo and a studio is $1,055/mo. This is 22% higher than the national average of $959 and 3% above the Nevada average of $1,135.

Rent increased6.2% from FY 2025 ($1,098), outpacing inflation. A household needs about $46,640/year to stay under the 30% rent-to-income line.

Observed renter burden: 33.0% of the 5,776 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 Nevada. Population: 53,600. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.1%, Census ACS). That's slower than Nevada's statewide growth of +7.5% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area ELKO·COUNTY·NV·NV

Elko County, NV: $1,166/mo 1BR · #440 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA NV
  • 1BR-FMR $1,166
  • 2BR-FMR $1,530
  • RANK-MID #440
  • YOY-SURGE +6.2%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +22%
  • VS-ST-NEAR +3% NV
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MID 54K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Clark County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,049–$1,283
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Clark ($312 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,056 · US avg: $893
$1,055/mo
↑ 6.8% YoY -0% vs state +18% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,135 · US avg: $959
$1,166/mo
↑ 6.2% YoY +3% vs state +22% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,428 · US avg: $1,175
$1,530/mo
↑ 6.2% YoY +7% vs state +30% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,941 · US avg: $1,525
$1,933/mo
↑ 6.2% YoY -0% vs state +27% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,352 · US avg: $1,756
$2,567/mo
↑ 6.1% YoY +9% vs state +46% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $988
$1,055
+$67 (+6.8%)
1 Bedroom $1,098
$1,166
+$68 (+6.2%)
2 Bedroom $1,441
$1,530
+$89 (+6.2%)
3 Bedroom $1,821
$1,933
+$112 (+6.2%)
4 Bedroom $2,420
$2,567
+$147 (+6.1%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
15.2%
Affordable
Need $42,200/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
16.8%
Affordable
Need $46,640/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
22%
Affordable
Need $61,200/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
27.8%
Affordable
Need $77,320/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
36.9%
Burdened
Need $102,680/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%22%
Elko County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $83,427 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Nevada rent burden →

Where Elko sits among every US county

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

$1,530 Top 14% higher than 86% 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%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Elko compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Nevada counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Elko is highlighted. Nearby Nevada counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Washoe County ($1,489), Clark County ($1,478), Douglas County ($1,291), Carson City ($1,212), Elko County (this county) ($1,166), Lyon County ($1,076), Nye County ($1,000).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

Against a high local FMR of $1,166/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using Nevada BLS wages?

Occupation NV Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $129,030 10.8% Affordable
Registered Nurses $101,990 13.7% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $94,990 14.7% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $78,670 17.8% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $78,220 17.9% Affordable
Electricians $64,950 21.5% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $62,420 22.4% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $62,090 22.5% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,900 23% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $46,670 30% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $38,950 35.9% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $36,480 38.4% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $33,430 41.9% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $30,450 46% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $29,180 48% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Nevada) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Elko (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 56.3% overall, from $746 to $1,166. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +14.6% in FY 2022, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$700$800$900$1,000$1,100$1,200 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,166
Elko County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑6.2% $1,055 $1,166 $1,530
FY 2025 ↑0.5% $988 $1,098 $1,441
FY 2024 ↑10.2% $973 $1,092 $1,435
FY 2023 ↑8.8% $869 $991 $1,300
FY 2022 ↑14.6% $785 $911 $1,182
FY 2021 ↑6.6% $664 $795 $1,007
FY 2020 $626 $746 $961
Total change (6yr): +56.3%
Annualized: +7.7%/yr
1 BR: $746 → $1,166

Part of the Elko, NV Micro Area

Elko County is a central county of the Elko, NV micropolitan statistical area, alongside 1 other micro-area county.

Elko County ranks #1 of 2 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Elko County (this county) ($1,166), Eureka County ($1,062).

Elko County (this county)
1 BR: $1,166/mo
Eureka County
1 BR: $1,062/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Elko County, both outside Nevada 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 NV (FY2026).

Jackson County
OR · 2 BR $1,530/mo
Kent County
MI · 2 BR $1,531/mo
Spokane County
WA · 2 BR $1,531/mo
Monroe County
PA · 2 BR $1,529/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Wilkes County
NC · 22% of income · 2 BR $925/mo
Benton County
TN · 22% of income · 2 BR $925/mo
Crockett County
TN · 22% of income · 2 BR $1,083/mo
Jefferson County
MT · 22% of income · 2 BR $1,404/mo

Nearby Counties in Nevada

Largest counties by population in Nevada

Showing the 8 largest of 16 other counties in Nevada.

Clark County
1 BR: $1,478/mo Pop: 2,265,926
Washoe County
1 BR: $1,489/mo Pop: 486,674
Lyon County
1 BR: $1,076/mo Pop: 59,435
Carson City
1 BR: $1,212/mo Pop: 58,249
Nye County
1 BR: $1,000/mo Pop: 51,698
Douglas County
1 BR: $1,291/mo Pop: 49,476
Churchill County
1 BR: $1,083/mo Pop: 25,409
Humboldt County
1 BR: $1,000/mo Pop: 17,266
View all counties in Nevada →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Elko County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Elko County is $1,166 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,530 and a studio is $1,055.
How does Elko County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Elko County is 22% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,166 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Elko County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Elko County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,530 ranks #440 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the upper-rent quarter of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Elko County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $46,640 ($3,887/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Elko County.
Is rent going up or down in Elko County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Elko County increased by 6.2% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,098 to $1,166.
Which jobs can afford rent in Elko County? ▼
Based on Nevada BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, Registered Nurses, General and Operations Managers can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,166/mo. 10 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Elko County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Elko County went from $746 in FY 2020 to $1,166 in FY 2026, a total change of +56.3% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Elko County? ▼
In Elko County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,166/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 Elko County? ▼
For Elko County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,166/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.