County FMR · HUD FY2026
Lake County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Lake County, IN - 13% above the US average.
- $1,082
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,317
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +9.8%
- YoY change
- +13%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Lake is the 15th most expensive of 92 counties in Indiana by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #723 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 9.8% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.
- #723
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #15
- most expensive of 92 in Indiana (2BR)
- +23%
- vs the state average
- $43,280
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (12%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (45.9%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Lake County, IN. Verify with HUD →
Lake County, Indiana carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,082 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,317/mo and a studio is $959/mo. That's 13% above the national benchmark of $959 and 23% above the Indiana average of $882.
Rent increased9.8% from FY 2025 ($985), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $43,280/year for a 1-bedroom.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Indiana. Population: 497,682. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.5%, Census ACS). That's in line with Indiana's statewide growth of +2.6% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area LAKE·COUNTY·IN·IN
Lake County, IN: $1,082/mo 1BR · #723 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA IN
- 1BR-FMR $1,082
- 2BR-FMR $1,317
- RANK-MID #723
- YOY-SURGE +9.8%
- VSUS-ABOVE +13%
- VS-ST-HIGH +23% IN
- INC-ROOM 19%
- POP-MAJOR 498K
- PHOTO-NEAR Marion County
- VOUCH-90-110 $974–$1,190
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Marion ($185 1BR gap)
Read with: How Fair Market Rent works
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $860 | $959 | +$99 (+11.5%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $985 | $1,082 | +$97 (+9.8%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,197 | $1,317 | +$120 (+10.0%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,475 | $1,612 | +$137 (+9.3%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,587 | $1,744 | +$157 (+9.9%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Lake 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 Lake sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$1,317 Top 23% higher than 77% 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 Lake compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Indiana counties
- Marion
Marion County
$1,267 1BR FMR / mo
- Hamilton
Hamilton County
$1,267 1BR FMR / mo
- St. Joseph
St. Joseph County
$1,105 1BR FMR / mo
- Lake
Lake County
$1,082 1BR FMR / mo
- Tippecanoe
Tippecanoe County
$1,032 1BR FMR / mo
- Elkhart
Elkhart County
$992 1BR FMR / mo
- Allen
Allen County
$916 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Lake is highlighted. Nearby Indiana counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Marion County ($1,267), Hamilton County ($1,267), St. Joseph County ($1,105), Lake County (this county) ($1,082), Tippecanoe County ($1,032), Elkhart County ($992), Allen County ($916).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
How a 1-bedroom at $1,082/mo compares to Indiana salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).
| Occupation | IN Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $108,410 | 12% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $103,570 | 12.5% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $80,740 | 16.1% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $77,410 | 16.8% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $71,540 | 18.1% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $65,480 | 19.8% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $60,090 | 21.6% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $58,370 | 22.2% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $50,690 | 25.6% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $41,600 | 31.2% | Stretched |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $40,020 | 32.4% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $35,240 | 36.8% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $30,460 | 42.6% | Stretched |
| Retail Salespersons | $30,300 | 42.9% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $28,290 | 45.9% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Lake County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Lake (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 45.0% overall, from $746 to $1,082. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 26.0% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑9.8% | $959 | $1,082 | $1,317 |
| FY 2025 ↓4.1% | $860 | $985 | $1,197 |
| FY 2024 ↑26.0% | $869 | $1,027 | $1,254 |
| FY 2023 ↑4.6% | $677 | $815 | $1,000 |
| FY 2022 ↑4.0% | $637 | $779 | $959 |
| FY 2021 ↑0.4% | $609 | $749 | $923 |
| FY 2020 | $597 | $746 | $917 |
Part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area
Lake County is a central county of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan statistical area, alongside 12 other metro-area counties.
Lake County ranks #11 of 13 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Cook County ($1,581), DuPage County ($1,581), Lake County ($1,581), Will County ($1,581), Kane County ($1,581), McHenry County ($1,581), Kendall County ($1,562), Grundy County ($1,118), Porter County ($1,082), Newton County ($1,082), Lake County (this county) ($1,082), DeKalb County ($1,046), Jasper County ($895).
Show all 13 counties in this metro area
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Lake County, both outside Indiana 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 IN (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside IN).
Nearby Counties in Indiana
Largest counties by population in Indiana
Showing the 8 largest of 91 other counties in Indiana.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Lake County? ▼
How does Lake County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Lake County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Lake County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Lake County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Lake County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Lake County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Lake County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Lake 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.