County FMR · HUD FY2026

Geary County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Geary County, KS - 12% below the US average.

$848
1-bedroom FMR
$1,048
2-bedroom FMR
+11.9%
YoY change
-12%
vs US avg

The verdict

Geary is the 21st most expensive of 105 counties in Kansas by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,478 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 11.9% since FY 2025, a sharp move relative to most counties.

#1,478
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#21
most expensive of 105 in Kansas (2BR)
+13%
vs the state average
$33,920
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (9.5%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (37.7%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Geary County, KS. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Geary County, Kansas at $848 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,048/mo and a studio is $843/mo. This is 12% lower than the national average of $959 and 13% above the Kansas average of $753.

Rent increased11.9% from FY 2025 ($758), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $33,920/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 39.2% of the 7,884 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 Kansas. Population: 36,247. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.9%, Census ACS). That's faster than Kansas's statewide growth of +1.0% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area GEARY·COUNTY·KS·KS

Geary County, KS: $848/mo 1BR · #1478 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA KS
  • 1BR-FMR $848
  • 2BR-FMR $1,048
  • RANK-MID #1,478
  • YOY-SURGE +11.9%
  • VSUS-BELOW -12%
  • VS-ST-HIGH +13% KS
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-SMALL 36K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Johnson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $763–$933
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Johnson ($349 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $702 · US avg: $893
$843/mo
↑ 12.0% YoY +20% vs state -6% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $753 · US avg: $959
$848/mo
↑ 11.9% YoY +13% vs state -12% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $947 · US avg: $1,175
$1,048/mo
↑ 5.4% YoY +11% vs state -11% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,223 · US avg: $1,525
$1,458/mo
↑ 4.7% YoY +19% vs state -4% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,397 · US avg: $1,756
$1,758/mo
↑ 5.3% YoY +26% vs state +0% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $753
$843
+$90 (+12.0%)
1 Bedroom $758
$848
+$90 (+11.9%)
2 Bedroom $994
$1,048
+$54 (+5.4%)
3 Bedroom $1,393
$1,458
+$65 (+4.7%)
4 Bedroom $1,669
$1,758
+$89 (+5.3%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
17.6%
Affordable
Need $33,720/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
17.7%
Affordable
Need $33,920/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
21.9%
Affordable
Need $41,920/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
30.5%
Burdened
Need $58,320/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
36.8%
Burdened
Need $70,320/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%21.9%
Geary County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $57,344 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Kansas rent burden →

Where Geary sits among every US county

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

$1,048 higher than 53% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Geary compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Kansas counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Geary is highlighted. Nearby Kansas counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Johnson County ($1,197), Wyandotte County ($1,197), Leavenworth County ($1,197), Douglas County ($1,006), Sedgwick County ($849), Geary County (this county) ($848), Shawnee County ($820).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $848/mo compares to Kansas salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation KS Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $106,660 9.5% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $85,600 11.9% Affordable
Registered Nurses $78,060 13% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $76,400 13.3% Affordable
Electricians $61,830 16.5% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $56,940 17.9% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $56,610 18% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $50,820 20% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $48,910 20.8% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $39,210 26% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $38,330 26.5% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $32,690 31.1% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $31,670 32.1% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $27,960 36.4% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $27,000 37.7% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Kansas) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Geary (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 16.3% overall, from $729 to $848. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 11.9% (FY 2026).

$650$700$750$800$850$900 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $848
Geary County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑11.9% $843 $848 $1,048
FY 2025 ↑2.6% $753 $758 $994
FY 2024 ↑9.3% $734 $739 $971
FY 2023 ↑0.7% $672 $676 $890
FY 2022 ↓2.3% $667 $671 $883
FY 2021 ↓5.8% $683 $687 $906
FY 2020 $724 $729 $960
Total change (6yr): +16.3%
Annualized: +2.6%/yr
1 BR: $729 → $848

Part of the Manhattan, KS Metro Area

Geary County is a outlying county of the Manhattan, KS metropolitan statistical area, alongside 2 other metro-area counties.

Geary County ranks #3 of 3 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Riley County ($875), Pottawatomie County ($875), Geary County (this county) ($848).

Riley County
1 BR: $875/mo
Pottawatomie County
1 BR: $875/mo
Geary County (this county)
1 BR: $848/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Geary County, both outside Kansas 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 KS (FY2026).

Grant County
NM · 2 BR $1,048/mo
Manistee County
MI · 2 BR $1,048/mo
Beckham County
OK · 2 BR $1,048/mo
Gilliam County
OR · 2 BR $1,048/mo

Similar rent burden

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

St. Landry Parish
LA · 21.9% of income · 2 BR $834/mo
Kit Carson County
CO · 21.9% of income · 2 BR $1,093/mo
Wichita County
TX · 21.9% of income · 2 BR $1,136/mo
Tuscaloosa County
AL · 21.9% of income · 2 BR $1,169/mo

Nearby Counties in Kansas

Largest counties by population in Kansas

Showing the 8 largest of 104 other counties in Kansas.

Johnson County
1 BR: $1,197/mo Pop: 610,742
Sedgwick County
1 BR: $849/mo Pop: 522,700
Shawnee County
1 BR: $820/mo Pop: 178,625
Wyandotte County
1 BR: $1,197/mo Pop: 167,989
Douglas County
1 BR: $1,006/mo Pop: 119,094
Leavenworth County
1 BR: $1,197/mo Pop: 82,050
Riley County
1 BR: $875/mo Pop: 72,105
Butler County
1 BR: $849/mo Pop: 67,618
View all counties in Kansas →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Geary County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Geary County is $848 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,048 and a studio is $843.
How does Geary County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Geary County is 12% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $848 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Geary County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Geary County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,048 ranks #1,478 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Geary County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $33,920 ($2,827/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Geary County.
Is rent going up or down in Geary County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Geary County increased by 11.9% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $758 to $848.
Which jobs can afford rent in Geary County? ▼
Based on Kansas BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $848/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Geary County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Geary County went from $729 in FY 2020 to $848 in FY 2026, a total change of +16.3% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Geary County? ▼
In Geary County, the FY 2026 FMR of $848/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 Geary County? ▼
For Geary County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($848/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.