County FMR · HUD FY2026
Ouachita Parish Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Ouachita Parish, LA - 17% below the US average.
- $793
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,026
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +3.4%
- YoY change
- -17%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Ouachita is the 26th most expensive of 64 counties in Louisiana by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,573 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #1,573
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #26
- most expensive of 64 in Louisiana (2BR)
- -5%
- vs the state average
- $31,720
- 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 (41.2%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Ouachita Parish, LA. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Ouachita Parish, Louisiana at $793 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,026/mo and a studio is $765/mo. This is 17% lower than the national average of $959 and 5% below the Louisiana average of $832.
Rent increased3.4% from FY 2025 ($767), outpacing inflation. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $31,720/year.
Observed renter burden: 53.4% of the 24,626 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 Louisiana. Population: 159,585. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.8%, Census ACS). That's faster than Louisiana's statewide growth of -0.9% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area OUACHITA·PARISH·LA·LA
Ouachita Parish, LA: $793/mo 1BR · #1573 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA LA
- 1BR-FMR $793
- 2BR-FMR $1,026
- RANK-MID #1,573
- YOY-UP +3.4%
- VSUS-BELOW -17%
- VS-ST-NEAR -5% LA
- INC-ROOM 19%
- POP-MID 160K
- PHOTO-NEAR East Baton Rouge P
- VOUCH-90-110 $714–$872
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: East Baton Rouge ($271 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $766 | $765 | $-1 (-0.1%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $767 | $793 | +$26 (+3.4%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $995 | $1,026 | +$31 (+3.1%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,276 | $1,319 | +$43 (+3.4%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,319 | $1,358 | +$39 (+3.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Ouachita Parish. 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 Ouachita sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$1,026 higher than 50% 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 Ouachita compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Louisiana counties
- St. Tammany
St. Tammany Parish
$1,130 1BR FMR / mo
- Jefferson
Jefferson Parish
$1,113 1BR FMR / mo
- Orleans
Orleans Parish
$1,113 1BR FMR / mo
- East Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge Parish
$1,064 1BR FMR / mo
- Caddo
Caddo Parish
$982 1BR FMR / mo
- Lafayette
Lafayette Parish
$898 1BR FMR / mo
- Ouachita
Ouachita Parish
$793 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Ouachita is highlighted. Nearby Louisiana counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: St. Tammany Parish ($1,130), Jefferson Parish ($1,113), Orleans Parish ($1,113), East Baton Rouge Parish ($1,064), Caddo Parish ($982), Lafayette Parish ($898), Ouachita Parish (this county) ($793).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $793/mo, most of these Louisiana occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | LA Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $102,290 | 9.3% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $102,060 | 9.3% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $78,880 | 12.1% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $69,540 | 13.7% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $59,590 | 16% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $52,280 | 18.2% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $50,580 | 18.8% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $48,770 | 19.5% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $47,580 | 20% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,700 | 24.6% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $35,890 | 26.5% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $28,820 | 33% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $27,940 | 34.1% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $27,040 | 35.2% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $23,110 | 41.2% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Ouachita Parish. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Ouachita (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 32.2% overall, from $600 to $793. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +13.2% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑3.4% | $765 | $793 | $1,026 |
| FY 2025 ↑1.3% | $766 | $767 | $995 |
| FY 2024 ↑13.2% | $753 | $757 | $995 |
| FY 2023 ↑8.1% | $665 | $669 | $881 |
| FY 2022 ↑1.5% | $615 | $619 | $815 |
| FY 2021 ↑1.7% | $606 | $610 | $804 |
| FY 2020 | $596 | $600 | $774 |
Part of the Monroe, LA Metro Area
Ouachita Parish is a central county of the Monroe, LA metropolitan statistical area, alongside 3 other metro-area counties.
Ouachita Parish ranks #2 of 4 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Union Parish ($793), Ouachita Parish (this county) ($793), Richland Parish ($759), Morehouse Parish ($636).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Ouachita Parish, both outside Louisiana 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 LA (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside LA).
Nearby Counties in Louisiana
Largest counties by population in Louisiana
Showing the 8 largest of 63 other counties in Louisiana.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Ouachita Parish? ▼
How does Ouachita Parish rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Ouachita Parish rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Ouachita Parish? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Ouachita Parish? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Ouachita Parish? ▼
How much has rent changed in Ouachita Parish over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Ouachita Parish? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Ouachita Parish? ▼
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.