County FMR · HUD FY2026

La Plata County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for La Plata County, CO - 26% above the US average.

$1,211
1-bedroom FMR
$1,589
2-bedroom FMR
-4.0%
YoY change
+26%
vs US avg

The verdict

La Plata is the 20th most expensive of 64 counties in Colorado by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #409 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#409
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#20
most expensive of 64 in Colorado (2BR)
+4%
vs the state average
$48,440
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.8%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (46.3%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for La Plata County, CO. Verify with HUD →

The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in La Plata County, Colorado is $1,211 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $1,589/mo and a studio is $1,181/mo. This is 26% higher than the national average of $959 and 4% above the Colorado average of $1,161.

Rent decreased4.0% from FY 2025 ($1,262), declining against the trend. A household needs about $48,440/year to stay under the 30% rent-to-income line.

Observed renter burden: 47.1% of the 6,738 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 Colorado. Population: 55,983. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.8%, Census ACS). That's slower than Colorado's statewide growth of +5.1% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area LA·PLATA·COUNTY·CO·CO

La Plata County, CO: $1,211/mo 1BR · #409 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA CO
  • 1BR-FMR $1,211
  • 2BR-FMR $1,589
  • RANK-MID #409
  • YOY-DOWN -4.0%
  • VSUS-HIGH +26%
  • VS-ST-NEAR +4% CO
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MID 56K
  • PHOTO-NEAR El Paso County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,090–$1,332
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: El Paso ($253 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,083 · US avg: $893
$1,181/mo
↓ 1.7% YoY +9% vs state +32% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,161 · US avg: $959
$1,211/mo
↓ 4.0% YoY +4% vs state +26% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,429 · US avg: $1,175
$1,589/mo
↑ 0.0% YoY +11% vs state +35% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,861 · US avg: $1,525
$1,942/mo
↓ 0.8% YoY +4% vs state +27% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,178 · US avg: $1,756
$2,288/mo
↓ 10.0% YoY +5% vs state +30% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $1,201
$1,181
$-20 (-1.7%)
1 Bedroom $1,262
$1,211
$-51 (-4.0%)
2 Bedroom $1,589
$1,589
$0 (0.0%)
3 Bedroom $1,957
$1,942
$-15 (-0.8%)
4 Bedroom $2,542
$2,288
$-254 (-10.0%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
16.6%
Affordable
Need $47,240/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
17%
Affordable
Need $48,440/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
22.4%
Affordable
Need $63,560/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
27.3%
Affordable
Need $77,680/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
32.2%
Burdened
Need $91,520/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%22.4%
La Plata County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $85,296 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Colorado rent burden →

Where La Plata sits among every US county

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

$1,589 Top 13% higher than 87% 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 La Plata compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Colorado counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows La Plata is highlighted. Nearby Colorado counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Denver County ($1,754), Arapahoe County ($1,754), Jefferson County ($1,754), Adams County ($1,754), Douglas County ($1,754), El Paso County ($1,464), La Plata County (this county) ($1,211).

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 $1,211/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using Colorado BLS wages?

Occupation CO Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $134,540 10.8% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $130,340 11.1% Affordable
Registered Nurses $96,520 15.1% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $96,100 15.1% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $90,030 16.1% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $73,380 19.8% Affordable
Electricians $62,090 23.4% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $61,550 23.6% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,260 24.1% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $48,070 30.2% Stretched
Customer Service Representatives $46,020 31.6% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $37,270 39% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $36,960 39.3% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $35,440 41% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $31,390 46.3% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Colorado) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for La Plata (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 40.2% overall, from $864 to $1,211. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 22.9% (FY 2022), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.

$800$1,000$1,200$1,400$1,600 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,211
La Plata County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↓4.0% $1,181 $1,211 $1,589
FY 2025 ↓10.0% $1,201 $1,262 $1,589
FY 2024 ↑7.3% $1,241 $1,402 $1,716
FY 2023 ↑5.4% $1,094 $1,307 $1,476
FY 2022 ↑22.9% $1,132 $1,240 $1,413
FY 2021 ↑16.8% $965 $1,009 $1,150
FY 2020 $824 $864 $983
Total change (6yr): +40.2%
Annualized: +5.8%/yr
1 BR: $864 → $1,211

Part of the Durango, CO Micro Area

La Plata County is a central county of the Durango, CO micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for La Plata County, both outside Colorado 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 CO (FY2026).

Tuolumne County
CA · 2 BR $1,589/mo
Shasta County
CA · 2 BR $1,590/mo
Androscoggin County
ME · 2 BR $1,586/mo
Ector County
TX · 2 BR $1,595/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Morgan County
IN · 22.3% of income · 2 BR $1,473/mo
Charles County
MD · 22.3% of income · 2 BR $2,246/mo
Washington County
NY · 22.4% of income · 2 BR $1,348/mo
Onondaga County
NY · 22.3% of income · 2 BR $1,392/mo

Nearby Counties in Colorado

Largest counties by population in Colorado

Showing the 8 largest of 63 other counties in Colorado.

El Paso County
1 BR: $1,464/mo Pop: 730,323
Denver County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 710,800
Arapahoe County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 654,453
Jefferson County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 580,519
Adams County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 520,149
Douglas County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 360,206
Larimer County
1 BR: $1,537/mo Pop: 359,363
Weld County
1 BR: $1,238/mo Pop: 331,466
View all counties in Colorado →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in La Plata County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in La Plata County is $1,211 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,589 and a studio is $1,181.
How does La Plata County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in La Plata County is 26% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,211 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does La Plata County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, La Plata County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,589 ranks #409 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 La Plata County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $48,440 ($4,037/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in La Plata County.
Is rent going up or down in La Plata County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in La Plata County decreased by 4.0% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,262 to $1,211.
Which jobs can afford rent in La Plata County? ▼
Based on Colorado BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,211/mo. 9 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in La Plata County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in La Plata County went from $864 in FY 2020 to $1,211 in FY 2026, a total change of +40.2% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in La Plata County? ▼
In La Plata County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,211/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 La Plata County? ▼
For La Plata County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,211/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.