County FMR · HUD FY2026
Monroe County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Monroe County, IL - 4% above the US average.
- $995
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,218
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +1.1%
- YoY change
- +4%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Monroe is the 13th most expensive of 102 counties in Illinois by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #944 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #944
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #13
- most expensive of 102 in Illinois (2BR)
- +17%
- vs the state average
- $39,800
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (9.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (37.4%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Monroe County, IL. Verify with HUD →
Monroe County, Illinois carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $995 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,218/mo and a studio is $955/mo. That's 4% above the national benchmark of $959 and 17% above the Illinois average of $854.
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: 42.5% of the 2,241 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 Illinois. Population: 34,905. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.0%, Census ACS). That's faster than Illinois's statewide growth of -1.0% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area MONROE·COUNTY·IL·IL
Monroe County, IL: $995/mo 1BR · #944 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA IL
- 1BR-FMR $995
- 2BR-FMR $1,218
- RANK-MID #944
- YOY-FLAT +1.1%
- VSUS-NEAR +4%
- VS-ST-HIGH +17% IL
- INC-ROOM 12%
- POP-SMALL 35K
- PHOTO-NEAR Cook County
- VOUCH-90-110 $896–$1,095
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Cook ($586 1BR gap)
Read with: How Fair Market Rent works
Fair Market Rents (2026)
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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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
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 Monroe compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Illinois counties
- Cook
Cook County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- DuPage
DuPage County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Lake
Lake County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Will
Will County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Kane
Kane County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- McHenry
McHenry County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Monroe
Monroe County
$995 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Monroe is highlighted. Nearby Illinois counties by 1-bedroom FMR, 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), Monroe County (this county) ($995).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
How a 1-bedroom at $995/mo compares to Illinois salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).
| Occupation | IL Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $127,770 | 9.3% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $101,430 | 11.8% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $101,530 | 11.8% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $96,360 | 12.4% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $86,410 | 13.8% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $79,300 | 15.1% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $64,160 | 18.6% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $62,290 | 19.2% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $59,790 | 20% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $44,910 | 26.6% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $44,610 | 26.8% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $37,010 | 32.3% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $35,780 | 33.4% | Stretched |
| Retail Salespersons | $34,490 | 34.6% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $31,900 | 37.4% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Monroe County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Monroe (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.
| 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 |
Part of the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area
Monroe County is a central county of the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area, alongside 14 other metro-area counties.
Monroe 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), Lincoln County ($995), Clinton County ($995), Warren County ($995), Jersey County ($995), Calhoun County ($995), Monroe County (this county) ($995), Bond County ($836), Macoupin County ($698).
Show all 15 counties in this metro area
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Monroe County, both outside Illinois 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 IL (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside IL).
Nearby Counties in Illinois
Largest counties by population in Illinois
Showing the 8 largest of 101 other counties in Illinois.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Monroe County? ▼
How does Monroe County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Monroe County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Monroe County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Monroe County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Monroe County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Monroe County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Monroe County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Monroe 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.