County FMR · HUD FY2026
Levy County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Levy County, FL - 13% below the US average.
- $831
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $974
- 2-bedroom FMR
- -2.8%
- YoY change
- -13%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Levy is the 2nd cheapest of 67 counties in Florida by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,322 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #1,322
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #2
- cheapest of 67 in Florida (2BR)
- -36%
- vs the state average
- $33,240
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.9%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (35.6%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Levy County, FL. Verify with HUD →
Levy County, Florida carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $831 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $974/mo and a studio is $735/mo. That's 13% below the national benchmark of $959 and 36% below the Florida average of $1,296.
Rent decreased2.8% from FY 2025 ($855), declining against the trend. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $33,240/year for a 1-bedroom.
Observed renter burden: 37.6% of the 3,623 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.
Market slack: The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 5.4% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Florida. Population: 43,268. Population grew 10.8% 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 Florida's statewide growth of +6.5% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area LEVY·COUNTY·FL·FL
Levy County, FL: $831/mo 1BR · #1322 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA FL
- 1BR-FMR $831
- 2BR-FMR $974
- RANK-MID #1,322
- YOY-DOWN -2.8%
- VSUS-BELOW -13%
- VS-ST-LOW -36% FL
- INC-ROOM 19%
- POP-SMALL 43K
- PHOTO-NEAR Miami-Dade County
- VOUCH-90-110 $748–$914
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Miami-Dade ($1,164 1BR gap)
Read with: How Fair Market Rent works
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $727 | $735 | +$8 (+1.1%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $855 | $831 | $-24 (-2.8%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $989 | $974 | $-15 (-1.5%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,281 | $1,238 | $-43 (-3.4%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,358 | $1,290 | $-68 (-5.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Levy 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 Levy sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$974 higher than 42% 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 Levy compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Florida counties
- Miami-Dade
Miami-Dade County
$1,995 1BR FMR / mo
- Palm Beach
Palm Beach County
$1,901 1BR FMR / mo
- Broward
Broward County
$1,900 1BR FMR / mo
- Orange
Orange County
$1,731 1BR FMR / mo
- Hillsborough
Hillsborough County
$1,696 1BR FMR / mo
- Duval
Duval County
$1,382 1BR FMR / mo
- Levy
Levy County
$831 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Levy is highlighted. Nearby Florida counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Miami-Dade County ($1,995), Palm Beach County ($1,901), Broward County ($1,900), Orange County ($1,731), Hillsborough County ($1,696), Duval County ($1,382), Levy County (this county) ($831).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
How a 1-bedroom at $831/mo compares to Florida salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).
| Occupation | FL Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $126,550 | 7.9% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $100,750 | 9.9% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $82,850 | 12% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $78,470 | 12.7% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $76,190 | 13.1% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $60,280 | 16.5% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $55,550 | 18% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $53,100 | 18.8% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $50,000 | 19.9% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $39,640 | 25.2% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $38,890 | 25.6% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $31,950 | 31.2% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $31,540 | 31.6% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $30,230 | 33% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $27,990 | 35.6% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Levy County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Levy (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 50.0% overall, from $554 to $831. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +19.6% in FY 2025, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↓2.8% | $735 | $831 | $974 |
| FY 2025 ↑19.6% | $727 | $855 | $989 |
| FY 2024 ↑13.9% | $673 | $715 | $905 |
| FY 2023 ↑9.2% | $623 | $628 | $826 |
| FY 2022 ↑3.2% | $572 | $575 | $757 |
| FY 2021 ↑0.5% | $553 | $557 | $734 |
| FY 2020 | $551 | $554 | $730 |
Part of the Gainesville, FL Metro Area
Levy County is a outlying county of the Gainesville, FL metropolitan statistical area, alongside 2 other metro-area counties.
Levy County ranks #3 of 3 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Alachua County ($1,246), Gilchrist County ($1,246), Levy County (this county) ($831).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Levy County, both outside Florida 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 FL (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside FL).
Nearby Counties in Florida
Largest counties by population in Florida
Showing the 8 largest of 66 other counties in Florida.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Levy County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Levy County is $831 per month. A 2-bedroom is $974 and a studio is $735.
How does Levy County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Levy County is 13% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $831 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Levy County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Levy County's 2-bedroom FMR of $974 ranks #1,322 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Levy County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $33,240 ($2,770/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Levy County.
Is rent going up or down in Levy County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Levy County decreased by 2.8% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $855 to $831.
Which jobs can afford rent in Levy County?
Based on Florida BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $831/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Levy County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Levy County went from $554 in FY 2020 to $831 in FY 2026, a total change of +50.0% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Levy County?
In Levy County, the FY 2026 FMR of $831/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 Levy County?
For Levy County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($831/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Levy County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
What is the unemployment rate in Levy County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 5.4% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Levy's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.
- Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $831 implies about $33,240/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- Florida counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Miami-Dade
- See where Levy ranks nationally on rent. National rankings
Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Actual asking rents can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.
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.