County FMR · HUD FY2026
Panola County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Panola County, MS - 23% below the US average.
- $743
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $878
- 2-bedroom FMR
- -7.2%
- YoY change
- -23%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Panola is the 32nd most expensive of 82 counties in Mississippi by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #284 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has fallen 7.2% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.
- #284
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #32
- most expensive of 82 in Mississippi (2BR)
- -5%
- vs the state average
- $29,720
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.1%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (40.9%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Panola County, MS. Verify with HUD →
The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Panola County, Mississippi is $743 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $878/mo and a studio is $605/mo. This is 23% lower than the national average of $959 and 5% below the Mississippi average of $782.
Rent decreased7.2% from FY 2025 ($801), declining against the trend. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $29,720/year.
Observed renter burden: 41.8% of the 3,857 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.
Market slack: The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 6.3%, 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 4.4% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Mississippi. Population: 33,157. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-3.7%, Census ACS). That's slower than Mississippi's statewide growth of -1.2% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area PANOLA·COUNTY·MS·MS
Panola County, MS: $743/mo 1BR · #284 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA MS
- 1BR-FMR $743
- 2BR-FMR $878
- RANK-LOW #284
- YOY-DOWN -7.2%
- VSUS-BELOW -23%
- VS-ST-NEAR -5% MS
- INC-MID 20%
- POP-SMALL 33K
- PHOTO-NEAR Hinds County
- VOUCH-90-110 $669–$817
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Hinds ($354 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $661 | $605 | $-56 (-8.5%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $801 | $743 | $-58 (-7.2%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $964 | $878 | $-86 (-8.9%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,245 | $1,121 | $-124 (-10.0%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,616 | $1,455 | $-161 (-10.0%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Panola 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 Panola sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$878 higher than 9% 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 Panola 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
- Panola
Panola County
$743 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Panola 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), Panola County (this county) ($743).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $743/mo, most of these Mississippi occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | MS Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $88,290 | 10.1% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $86,460 | 10.3% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $74,470 | 12% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $64,170 | 13.9% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $57,300 | 15.6% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $50,700 | 17.6% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $48,440 | 18.4% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $45,610 | 19.5% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $39,120 | 22.8% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,210 | 23.3% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $35,580 | 25.1% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $27,810 | 32.1% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $27,610 | 32.3% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $22,280 | 40% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $21,790 | 40.9% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Panola County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Panola (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 30.8% overall, from $568 to $743. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +19.6% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↓7.2% | $605 | $743 | $878 |
| FY 2025 ↑6.5% | $661 | $801 | $964 |
| FY 2024 ↑19.6% | $620 | $752 | $915 |
| FY 2023 ↑6.4% | $625 | $629 | $788 |
| FY 2022 ↑2.1% | $587 | $591 | $726 |
| FY 2021 ↑1.9% | $541 | $579 | $691 |
| FY 2020 | $497 | $568 | $664 |
Where Panola County Ranks in Mississippi
Panola 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 #51 of 82 counties in Mississippi. Nearest by rank: Lincoln County ($852), Amite County ($855), Simpson County ($858), Marion County ($860), Lawrence County ($863), Clarke County ($867), Lowndes County ($872), Union County ($872), Panola County (this county) ($878), Itawamba County ($891), Lauderdale County ($906), Grenada County ($911), Jones County ($917), George County ($921), Walthall County ($923), Pontotoc County ($932), Pearl River County ($949).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Panola 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 Panola County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Panola County is $743 per month. A 2-bedroom is $878 and a studio is $605.
How does Panola County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Panola County is 23% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $743 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Panola County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Panola County's 2-bedroom FMR of $878 ranks #284 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the lowest-rent tenth of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Panola County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $29,720 ($2,477/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Panola County.
Is rent going up or down in Panola County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Panola County decreased by 7.2% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $801 to $743.
Which jobs can afford rent in Panola County?
Based on Mississippi BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like General and Operations Managers, Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $743/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Panola County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Panola County went from $568 in FY 2020 to $743 in FY 2026, a total change of +30.8% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Panola County?
In Panola County, the FY 2026 FMR of $743/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 Panola County?
For Panola County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($743/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Panola County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 6.3%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
What is the unemployment rate in Panola County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 4.4% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Panola'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 $743 implies about $29,720/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- Mississippi counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Hinds
- See where Panola 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.