County FMR · HUD FY2026

Lincoln County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Lincoln County, MO - 4% above the US average.

$995
1-bedroom FMR
$1,218
2-bedroom FMR
+1.1%
YoY change
+4%
vs US avg

The verdict

Lincoln is the 14th most expensive of 116 counties in Missouri by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #944 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#944
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#14
most expensive of 116 in Missouri (2BR)
+28%
vs the state average
$39,800
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.4%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (41.1%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Lincoln County, MO. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Lincoln County, Missouri at $995 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,218/mo and a studio is $955/mo. This is 4% higher than the national average of $959 and 28% above the Missouri average of $777.

Rent increased1.1% from FY 2025 ($984), roughly tracking inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $39,800/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 35.9% of the 4,857 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 Missouri. Population: 60,172. Population grew 10.9% 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 Missouri's statewide growth of +1.3% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area LINCOLN·COUNTY·MO·MO

Lincoln County, MO: $995/mo 1BR · #944 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA MO
  • 1BR-FMR $995
  • 2BR-FMR $1,218
  • RANK-MID #944
  • YOY-FLAT +1.1%
  • VSUS-NEAR +4%
  • VS-ST-HIGH +28% MO
  • INC-ROOM 14%
  • POP-MID 60K
  • PHOTO-FINISH St. Louis County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $896–$1,095
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: St. Louis ($0 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $734 · US avg: $893
$955/mo
↑ 0.4% YoY +30% vs state +7% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $777 · US avg: $959
$995/mo
↑ 1.1% YoY +28% vs state +4% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $972 · US avg: $1,175
$1,218/mo
↑ 0.2% YoY +25% vs state +4% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,268 · US avg: $1,525
$1,568/mo
↓ 0.1% YoY +24% vs state +3% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,460 · US avg: $1,756
$1,812/mo
↑ 0.3% YoY +24% vs state +3% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $951
$955
+$4 (+0.4%)
1 Bedroom $984
$995
+$11 (+1.1%)
2 Bedroom $1,215
$1,218
+$3 (+0.2%)
3 Bedroom $1,570
$1,568
$-2 (-0.1%)
4 Bedroom $1,806
$1,812
+$6 (+0.3%)

Rent Burden Analysis

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

Studio
13.4%
Affordable
Need $38,200/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
14%
Affordable
Need $39,800/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
17.1%
Affordable
Need $48,720/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
22.1%
Affordable
Need $62,720/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
25.5%
Affordable
Need $72,480/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%17.1%
Lincoln County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $85,276 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Missouri rent burden →

Where Lincoln sits among every US county

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

$1,218 Top 30% higher than 70% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $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 Lincoln compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Missouri counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Lincoln is highlighted. Nearby Missouri counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Jackson County ($1,197), Clay County ($1,197), Lincoln County (this county) ($995), St. Louis County ($995), St. Charles County ($995), St. Louis city ($995), Greene County ($883).

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

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $995/mo compares to Missouri salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation MO Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $114,550 10.4% Affordable
Registered Nurses $79,770 15% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $77,410 15.4% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $73,210 16.3% Affordable
Electricians $70,950 16.8% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $60,720 19.7% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $58,730 20.3% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $50,540 23.6% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $48,250 24.7% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $41,850 28.5% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $37,990 31.4% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $34,080 35% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $31,250 38.2% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $29,310 40.7% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $29,060 41.1% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Missouri) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

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

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Lincoln (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 41.9% overall, from $701 to $995. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +22.3% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$600$700$800$900$1,000$1,100 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $995
Lincoln County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑1.1% $955 $995 $1,218
FY 2025 ↑1.2% $951 $984 $1,215
FY 2024 ↑22.3% $928 $972 $1,209
FY 2023 ↑6.7% $748 $795 $999
FY 2022 ↑1.9% $689 $745 $947
FY 2021 ↑4.3% $671 $731 $938
FY 2020 $633 $701 $905
Total change (6yr): +41.9%
Annualized: +6.0%/yr
1 BR: $701 → $995

Part of the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area

Lincoln County is a outlying county of the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area, alongside 14 other metro-area counties.

Lincoln County ranks #13 of 15 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: St. Louis County ($995), St. Charles County ($995), St. Louis city ($995), Madison County ($995), St. Clair County ($995), Jefferson County ($995), Franklin County ($995), Clinton County ($995), Warren County ($995), Monroe County ($995), Jersey County ($995), Calhoun County ($995), Lincoln County (this county) ($995), Bond County ($836), Macoupin County ($698).

St. Louis County
1 BR: $995/mo
St. Charles County
1 BR: $995/mo
St. Louis city
1 BR: $995/mo
Madison County
1 BR: $995/mo
St. Clair County
1 BR: $995/mo
Jefferson County
1 BR: $995/mo
Franklin County
1 BR: $995/mo
Clinton County
1 BR: $995/mo
Warren County
1 BR: $995/mo
Monroe County
1 BR: $995/mo
Jersey County
1 BR: $995/mo
Calhoun County
1 BR: $995/mo
Lincoln County (this county)
1 BR: $995/mo
Show all 15 counties in this metro area
Bond County
1 BR: $836/mo
Macoupin County
1 BR: $698/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Lincoln County, both outside Missouri 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 MO (FY2026).

Madison County
IL · 2 BR $1,218/mo
St. Clair County
IL · 2 BR $1,218/mo
Clinton County
IL · 2 BR $1,218/mo
Monroe County
IL · 2 BR $1,218/mo

Similar rent burden

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

Brazoria County
TX · 17.1% of income · 2 BR $1,359/mo
Gilmer County
GA · 17.1% of income · 2 BR $1,036/mo
Boone County
KY · 17.1% of income · 2 BR $1,353/mo
Clark County
IL · 17.1% of income · 2 BR $1,009/mo

Nearby Counties in Missouri

Largest counties by population in Missouri

Showing the 8 largest of 115 other counties in Missouri.

St. Louis County
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 999,703
Jackson County
1 BR: $1,197/mo Pop: 715,526
St. Charles County
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 406,262
Greene County
1 BR: $883/mo Pop: 299,188
St. Louis city
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 298,018
Clay County
1 BR: $1,197/mo Pop: 253,085
Jefferson County
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 226,984
Boone County
1 BR: $1,011/mo Pop: 184,043
View all counties in Missouri →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Lincoln County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Lincoln County is $995 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,218 and a studio is $955.
How does Lincoln County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Lincoln County is 4% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $995 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Lincoln County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Lincoln County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,218 ranks #944 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Lincoln County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $39,800 ($3,317/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Lincoln County.
Is rent going up or down in Lincoln County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Lincoln County increased by 1.1% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $984 to $995.
Which jobs can afford rent in Lincoln County? ▼
Based on Missouri BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, Registered Nurses, General and Operations Managers can afford a 1-bedroom at $995/mo. 10 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Lincoln County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Lincoln County went from $701 in FY 2020 to $995 in FY 2026, a total change of +41.9% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Lincoln County? ▼
In Lincoln County, the FY 2026 FMR of $995/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 Lincoln County? ▼
For Lincoln County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($995/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.