County FMR · HUD FY2026
Lawrence County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Lawrence County, MS - 31% below the US average.
- $657
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $863
- 2-bedroom FMR
- -10.0%
- YoY change
- -31%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Lawrence is the 36th most expensive of 82 counties in Mississippi by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #95 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has fallen 10.0% since FY 2025, a sharp move relative to most counties.
- #95
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #36
- most expensive of 82 in Mississippi (2BR)
- -16%
- vs the state average
- $26,280
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (8.9%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (36.2%); 13 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 Lawrence County, MS. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Lawrence County, Mississippi at $657 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $863/mo and a studio is $653/mo. This is 31% lower than the national average of $959 and 16% below the Mississippi average of $782.
Rent decreased10.0% from FY 2025 ($730), declining against the trend. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $26,280/year.
Observed renter burden: 48.3% of the 793 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 Mississippi. Population: 11,933. Population declined 5.9% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels. That's slower than Mississippi's statewide growth of -1.2% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area LAWRENCE·COUNTY·MS·MS
Lawrence County, MS: $657/mo 1BR · #95 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA MS
- 1BR-FMR $657
- 2BR-FMR $863
- RANK-LOW #95
- YOY-DOWN -10.0%
- VSUS-LOW -31%
- VS-ST-LOW -16% MS
- INC-ROOM 18%
- POP-SMALL 12K
- PHOTO-NEAR Hinds County
- VOUCH-90-110 $591–$723
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Hinds ($440 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $725 | $653 | $-72 (-9.9%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $730 | $657 | $-73 (-10.0%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $958 | $863 | $-95 (-9.9%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,154 | $1,068 | $-86 (-7.5%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,275 | $1,148 | $-127 (-10.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Lawrence 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 Lawrence sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$863 higher than 3% 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 Lawrence compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Mississippi counties
- DeSoto
DeSoto County
$1,154 1BR FMR / mo
- Hinds
Hinds County
$1,097 1BR FMR / mo
- Rankin
Rankin County
$1,097 1BR FMR / mo
- Madison
Madison County
$1,097 1BR FMR / mo
- Jackson
Jackson County
$951 1BR FMR / mo
- Harrison
Harrison County
$923 1BR FMR / mo
- Lawrence
Lawrence County
$657 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Lawrence is highlighted. Nearby Mississippi counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: DeSoto County ($1,154), Hinds County ($1,097), Rankin County ($1,097), Madison County ($1,097), Jackson County ($951), Harrison County ($923), Lawrence County (this county) ($657).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $657/mo, most of these Mississippi occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | MS Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $88,290 | 8.9% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $86,460 | 9.1% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $74,470 | 10.6% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $64,170 | 12.3% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $57,300 | 13.8% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $50,700 | 15.6% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $48,440 | 16.3% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $45,610 | 17.3% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $39,120 | 20.2% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,210 | 20.6% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $35,580 | 22.2% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $27,810 | 28.3% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $27,610 | 28.6% | Affordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $22,280 | 35.4% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $21,790 | 36.2% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Lawrence County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Lawrence (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 10.8% overall, from $593 to $657. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 17.1% (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 ↓10.0% | $653 | $657 | $863 |
| FY 2025 ↓0.4% | $725 | $730 | $958 |
| FY 2024 ↑17.1% | $728 | $733 | $963 |
| FY 2023 ↓9.4% | $622 | $626 | $824 |
| FY 2022 ↑3.9% | $650 | $691 | $796 |
| FY 2021 ↑12.1% | $593 | $665 | $758 |
| FY 2020 | $561 | $593 | $749 |
Where Lawrence County Ranks in Mississippi
Lawrence 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 #47 of 82 counties in Mississippi. Nearest by rank: Webster County ($842), Wilkinson County ($842), Winston County ($842), Yalobusha County ($842), Lincoln County ($852), Amite County ($855), Simpson County ($858), Marion County ($860), Lawrence County (this county) ($863), Clarke County ($867), Lowndes County ($872), Union County ($872), Panola County ($878), Itawamba County ($891), Lauderdale County ($906), Grenada County ($911), Jones County ($917).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Lawrence County, both outside Mississippi 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 MS (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside MS).
Nearby Counties in Mississippi
Largest counties by population in Mississippi
Showing the 8 largest of 81 other counties in Mississippi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Lawrence County? ▼
How does Lawrence County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Lawrence County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Lawrence County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Lawrence County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Lawrence County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Lawrence County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Lawrence County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Lawrence 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.