County FMR · HUD FY2026

Kenosha County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Kenosha County, WI - 14% above the US average.

$1,092
1-bedroom FMR
$1,402
2-bedroom FMR
-1.7%
YoY change
+14%
vs US avg

The verdict

Kenosha is the 4th most expensive of 72 counties in Wisconsin by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #566 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#566
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#4
most expensive of 72 in Wisconsin (2BR)
+25%
vs the state average
$43,680
income to afford it (30% rule)

General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (11.6%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (46%); nearby Wisconsin counties range as much as 59% apart in 1-bedroom FMR, so the county line itself can matter for renters comparing options.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Kenosha County, WI. Verify with HUD →

Kenosha County, Wisconsin carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,092 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,402/mo and a studio is $1,085/mo. That's 14% above the national benchmark of $959 and 25% above the Wisconsin average of $872.

Rent decreased1.7% from FY 2025 ($1,111), declining against the trend. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $43,680/year for a 1-bedroom.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Wisconsin. Population: 168,693. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+0.0%, Census ACS). That's slower than Wisconsin's statewide growth of +2.0% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area KENOSHA·COUNTY·WI·WI

Kenosha County, WI: $1,092/mo 1BR · #566 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA WI
  • 1BR-FMR $1,092
  • 2BR-FMR $1,402
  • RANK-MID #566
  • YOY-FLAT -1.7%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +14%
  • VS-ST-HIGH +25% WI
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MID 169K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Milwaukee County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $983–$1,201
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Milwaukee ($27 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $797 · US avg: $893
$1,085/mo
↓ 1.7% YoY +36% vs state +22% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $872 · US avg: $959
$1,092/mo
↓ 1.7% YoY +25% vs state +14% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,097 · US avg: $1,175
$1,402/mo
↓ 3.1% YoY +28% vs state +19% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,405 · US avg: $1,525
$1,899/mo
↓ 2.3% YoY +35% vs state +25% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,572 · US avg: $1,756
$2,174/mo
↓ 1.9% YoY +38% vs state +24% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $1,104
$1,085
$-19 (-1.7%)
1 Bedroom $1,111
$1,092
$-19 (-1.7%)
2 Bedroom $1,447
$1,402
$-45 (-3.1%)
3 Bedroom $1,944
$1,899
$-45 (-2.3%)
4 Bedroom $2,216
$2,174
$-42 (-1.9%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
16.4%
Affordable
Need $43,400/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
16.5%
Affordable
Need $43,680/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
21.2%
Affordable
Need $56,080/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
28.7%
Affordable
Need $75,960/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
32.9%
Burdened
Need $86,960/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%21.2%
Kenosha County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $79,412 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Wisconsin rent burden →

Where Kenosha sits among every US county

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

$1,402 Top 18% higher than 82% 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 Kenosha compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Wisconsin counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Kenosha is highlighted. Nearby Wisconsin counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Dane County ($1,482), Milwaukee County ($1,119), Waukesha County ($1,119), Kenosha County (this county) ($1,092), Racine County ($988), Outagamie County ($960), Brown County ($931).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $1,092/mo compares to Wisconsin salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation WI Salary Rent Burden Verdict
General & Operations Managers $113,170 11.6% Affordable
Software Developers $103,360 12.7% Affordable
Registered Nurses $86,070 15.2% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $78,980 16.6% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $78,150 16.8% Affordable
Electricians $75,090 17.5% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $60,690 21.6% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $57,380 22.8% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $56,520 23.2% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $45,980 28.5% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $43,620 30% Affordable
Teaching Assistants $36,050 36.3% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $35,850 36.6% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $33,640 39% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $28,500 46% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Wisconsin) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Kenosha (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 38.2% overall, from $790 to $1,092. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 22.8% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.

$700$800$900$1,000$1,100$1,200 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,092
Kenosha County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↓1.7% $1,085 $1,092 $1,402
FY 2025 ↑3.7% $1,104 $1,111 $1,447
FY 2024 ↑22.8% $996 $1,071 $1,401
FY 2023 ↑7.7% $765 $872 $1,144
FY 2022 ↑1.5% $708 $810 $1,066
FY 2021 ↑1.0% $694 $798 $1,052
FY 2020 $678 $790 $1,040
Total change (6yr): +38.2%
Annualized: +5.5%/yr
1 BR: $790 → $1,092

Part of the Kenosha, WI Metro Area

Kenosha County is a central county of the Kenosha, WI metropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Kenosha County, both outside Wisconsin 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 WI (FY2026).

Pima County
AZ · 2 BR $1,402/mo
Fallon County
MT · 2 BR $1,401/mo
Lincoln County
ME · 2 BR $1,403/mo
Curry County
OR · 2 BR $1,400/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Asotin County
WA · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $1,220/mo
Baraga County
MI · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Barren County
KY · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $868/mo
Ouachita County
AR · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $880/mo

Nearby Counties in Wisconsin

Largest counties by population in Wisconsin

Showing the 8 largest of 71 other counties in Wisconsin.

Milwaukee County
1 BR: $1,119/mo Pop: 933,063
Dane County
1 BR: $1,482/mo Pop: 559,891
Waukesha County
1 BR: $1,119/mo Pop: 407,290
Brown County
1 BR: $931/mo Pop: 268,393
Racine County
1 BR: $988/mo Pop: 197,068
Outagamie County
1 BR: $960/mo Pop: 190,611
Winnebago County
1 BR: $889/mo Pop: 171,197
Rock County
1 BR: $955/mo Pop: 163,817
View all counties in Wisconsin →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Kenosha County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Kenosha County is $1,092 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,402 and a studio is $1,085.
How does Kenosha County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Kenosha County is 14% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,092 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Kenosha County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Kenosha County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,402 ranks #566 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 Kenosha County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $43,680 ($3,640/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Kenosha County.
Is rent going up or down in Kenosha County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Kenosha County decreased by 1.7% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,111 to $1,092.
Which jobs can afford rent in Kenosha County? ▼
Based on Wisconsin BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like General and Operations Managers, Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,092/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Kenosha County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Kenosha County went from $790 in FY 2020 to $1,092 in FY 2026, a total change of +38.2% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Kenosha County? ▼
In Kenosha County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,092/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 Kenosha County? ▼
For Kenosha County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,092/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.