County FMR · HUD FY2026
Harding County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Harding County, SD - 25% below the US average.
- $722
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $948
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +4.8%
- YoY change
- -25%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Harding is the 28th most expensive of 66 counties in South Dakota by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #787 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #787
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #28
- most expensive of 66 in South Dakota (2BR)
- -8%
- vs the state average
- $28,880
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (6.5%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (32.1%); 14 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 Harding County, SD. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Harding County, South Dakota at $722 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $948/mo and a studio is $654/mo. This is 25% lower than the national average of $959 and 8% below the South Dakota average of $784.
Rent increased4.8% from FY 2025 ($689), outpacing inflation. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $28,880/year.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in South Dakota. Population: 1,176.
FMR filing desk
Area HARDING·COUNTY·SD·SD
Harding County, SD: $722/mo 1BR · #787 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA SD
- 1BR-FMR $722
- 2BR-FMR $948
- RANK-MID #787
- YOY-UP +4.8%
- VSUS-BELOW -25%
- VS-ST-NEAR -8% SD
- INC-ROOM 12%
- POP-SMALL 1K
- PHOTO-NEAR Minnehaha County
- VOUCH-90-110 $650–$794
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Minnehaha ($264 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $620 | $654 | +$34 (+5.5%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $689 | $722 | +$33 (+4.8%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $904 | $948 | +$44 (+4.9%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,175 | $1,206 | +$31 (+2.6%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,410 | $1,468 | +$58 (+4.1%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Harding 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 Harding sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$948 higher than 25% 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 Harding compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other South Dakota counties
- Pennington
Pennington County
$1,018 1BR FMR / mo
- Minnehaha
Minnehaha County
$986 1BR FMR / mo
- Lincoln
Lincoln County
$986 1BR FMR / mo
- Meade
Meade County
$970 1BR FMR / mo
- Brookings
Brookings County
$781 1BR FMR / mo
- Harding
Harding County
$722 1BR FMR / mo
- Brown
Brown County
$708 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Harding is highlighted. Nearby South Dakota counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Pennington County ($1,018), Minnehaha County ($986), Lincoln County ($986), Meade County ($970), Brookings County ($781), Harding County (this county) ($722), Brown County ($708).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $722/mo, most of these South Dakota occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | SD Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $133,440 | 6.5% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $87,770 | 9.9% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $77,310 | 11.2% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $69,510 | 12.5% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $60,300 | 14.4% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $58,550 | 14.8% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $57,300 | 15.1% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $56,880 | 15.2% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $49,110 | 17.6% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $43,760 | 19.8% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $39,760 | 21.8% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $34,260 | 25.3% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $33,940 | 25.5% | Affordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $29,480 | 29.4% | Affordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $27,020 | 32.1% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Harding County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Harding (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 33.2% overall, from $542 to $722. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +16.1% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑4.8% | $654 | $722 | $948 |
| FY 2025 ↓6.4% | $620 | $689 | $904 |
| FY 2024 ↑16.1% | $655 | $736 | $967 |
| FY 2023 ↓3.5% | $580 | $634 | $834 |
| FY 2022 ↑10.6% | $618 | $657 | $864 |
| FY 2021 ↑9.6% | $548 | $594 | $783 |
| FY 2020 | $487 | $542 | $714 |
Where Harding County Ranks in South Dakota
Harding 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 #39 of 66 counties in South Dakota. Nearest by rank: Todd County ($929), Tripp County ($929), Yankton County ($929), Ziebach County ($929), Davison County ($936), Lyman County ($940), Douglas County ($948), Haakon County ($948), Harding County (this county) ($948), Hyde County ($948), Jerauld County ($948), Mellette County ($948), Sully County ($948), Faulk County ($950), Kingsbury County ($951), Brookings County ($953), Beadle County ($955).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Harding County, both outside South Dakota 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 SD (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside SD).
Nearby Counties in South Dakota
Largest counties by population in South Dakota
Showing the 8 largest of 65 other counties in South Dakota.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Harding County? ▼
How does Harding County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Harding County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Harding County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Harding County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Harding County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Harding County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Harding County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Harding County? ▼
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.
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.