County FMR · HUD FY2026

Johnson County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Johnson County, IA - 0% above the US average.

$961
1-bedroom FMR
$1,141
2-bedroom FMR
+4.3%
YoY change
+0%
vs US avg

The verdict

Johnson is the 12th most expensive of 99 counties in Iowa by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,164 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#1,164
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#12
most expensive of 99 in Iowa (2BR)
+22%
vs the state average
$38,440
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.5%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (40.6%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Johnson County, IA. Verify with HUD →

The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Johnson County, Iowa is $961 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $1,141/mo and a studio is $880/mo. This is 0% higher than the national average of $959 and 22% above the Iowa average of $788.

Rent increased4.3% from FY 2025 ($921), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $38,440/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 54.4% of the 25,608 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 Iowa. Population: 153,360. Population grew 5.4% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing counties nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. That's faster than Iowa's statewide growth of +2.0% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area JOHNSON·COUNTY·IA·IA

Johnson County, IA: $961/mo 1BR · #1164 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA IA
  • 1BR-FMR $961
  • 2BR-FMR $1,141
  • RANK-MID #1,164
  • YOY-UP +4.3%
  • VSUS-NEAR +0%
  • VS-ST-HIGH +22% IA
  • INC-ROOM 15%
  • POP-MID 153K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Polk County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $865–$1,057
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Polk ($148 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $738 · US avg: $893
$880/mo
↑ 7.8% YoY +19% vs state -1% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $788 · US avg: $959
$961/mo
↑ 4.3% YoY +22% vs state +0% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $989 · US avg: $1,175
$1,141/mo
↑ 3.3% YoY +15% vs state -3% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,282 · US avg: $1,525
$1,587/mo
↑ 2.5% YoY +24% vs state +4% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,420 · US avg: $1,756
$1,914/mo
↑ 3.1% YoY +35% vs state +9% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $816
$880
+$64 (+7.8%)
1 Bedroom $921
$961
+$40 (+4.3%)
2 Bedroom $1,105
$1,141
+$36 (+3.3%)
3 Bedroom $1,548
$1,587
+$39 (+2.5%)
4 Bedroom $1,856
$1,914
+$58 (+3.1%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
14.1%
Affordable
Need $35,200/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
15.4%
Affordable
Need $38,440/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
18.3%
Affordable
Need $45,640/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
25.5%
Affordable
Need $63,480/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
30.7%
Burdened
Need $76,560/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%18.3%
Johnson County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $74,721 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Iowa rent burden →

Where Johnson sits among every US county

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

$1,141 Top 37% higher than 63% 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 Johnson compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Iowa counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Johnson is highlighted. Nearby Iowa counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Polk County ($1,109), Dallas County ($1,109), Johnson County (this county) ($961), Scott County ($928), Woodbury County ($925), Linn County ($816), Black Hawk County ($801).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $961/mo compares to Iowa salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation IA Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $109,850 10.5% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $80,620 14.3% Affordable
Registered Nurses $76,960 15% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $74,290 15.5% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $73,900 15.6% Affordable
Electricians $62,880 18.3% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $55,540 20.8% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $55,080 20.9% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $53,280 21.6% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $44,990 25.6% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $41,380 27.9% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $36,130 31.9% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $30,030 38.4% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $28,500 40.5% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $28,400 40.6% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Iowa) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Johnson (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 24.2% overall, from $774 to $961. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 8.7% (FY 2023).

$750$800$850$900$950$1,000 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $961
Johnson County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑4.3% $880 $961 $1,141
FY 2025 ↑2.1% $816 $921 $1,105
FY 2024 ↓2.2% $783 $902 $1,082
FY 2023 ↑8.7% $810 $922 $1,127
FY 2022 ↑5.6% $757 $848 $1,063
FY 2021 ↑3.7% $735 $803 $1,036
FY 2020 $705 $774 $1,011
Total change (6yr): +24.2%
Annualized: +3.7%/yr
1 BR: $774 → $961

Part of the Iowa City, IA Metro Area

Johnson County is a central county of the Iowa City, IA metropolitan statistical area, alongside 1 other metro-area county.

Johnson County ranks #1 of 2 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Johnson County (this county) ($961), Washington County ($733).

Johnson County (this county)
1 BR: $961/mo
Washington County
1 BR: $733/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Johnson County, both outside Iowa 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 IA (FY2026).

Lancaster County
NE · 2 BR $1,141/mo
Door County
WI · 2 BR $1,141/mo
DeWitt County
TX · 2 BR $1,141/mo
Lee County
TX · 2 BR $1,141/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Oliver County
ND · 18.3% of income · 2 BR $1,175/mo
Garfield County
OK · 18.3% of income · 2 BR $1,027/mo
Bedford County
VA · 18.3% of income · 2 BR $1,187/mo
Fountain County
IN · 18.3% of income · 2 BR $956/mo

Nearby Counties in Iowa

Largest counties by population in Iowa

Showing the 8 largest of 98 other counties in Iowa.

Polk County
1 BR: $1,109/mo Pop: 493,378
Linn County
1 BR: $816/mo Pop: 229,308
Scott County
1 BR: $928/mo Pop: 174,315
Black Hawk County
1 BR: $801/mo Pop: 131,041
Woodbury County
1 BR: $925/mo Pop: 105,526
Dallas County
1 BR: $1,109/mo Pop: 100,367
Dubuque County
1 BR: $841/mo Pop: 98,812
Story County
1 BR: $1,026/mo Pop: 98,573
View all counties in Iowa →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Johnson County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Johnson County is $961 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,141 and a studio is $880.
How does Johnson County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Johnson County is 0% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $961 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Johnson County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Johnson County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,141 ranks #1,164 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 Johnson County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $38,440 ($3,203/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Johnson County.
Is rent going up or down in Johnson County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Johnson County increased by 4.3% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $921 to $961.
Which jobs can afford rent in Johnson County? ▼
Based on Iowa BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $961/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Johnson County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Johnson County went from $774 in FY 2020 to $961 in FY 2026, a total change of +24.2% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Johnson County? ▼
In Johnson County, the FY 2026 FMR of $961/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 Johnson County? ▼
For Johnson County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($961/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.