County FMR · HUD FY2026
Putnam County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Putnam County, IN - 12% below the US average.
- $843
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,030
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +3.3%
- YoY change
- -12%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Putnam is the 44th most expensive of 92 counties in Indiana 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)
- #44
- most expensive of 92 in Indiana (2BR)
- -4%
- vs the state average
- $33,720
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (9.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (35.8%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Putnam County, IN. Verify with HUD →
Putnam County, Indiana carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $843 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,030/mo and a studio is $738/mo. That's 12% below the national benchmark of $959 and 4% below the Indiana average of $882.
Rent increased3.3% from FY 2025 ($816), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $33,720/year for a 1-bedroom.
Observed renter burden: 40.0% of the 3,697 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 1.8%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 3.3% over the past 12 months, a tight labor market that typically supports steadier rent demand.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Indiana. Population: 36,942. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-1.2%, Census ACS). That's slower than Indiana's statewide growth of +2.6% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area PUTNAM·COUNTY·IN·IN
Putnam County, IN: $843/mo 1BR · #1573 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA IN
- 1BR-FMR $843
- 2BR-FMR $1,030
- RANK-MID #1,573
- YOY-UP +3.3%
- VSUS-BELOW -12%
- VS-ST-NEAR -4% IN
- INC-ROOM 13%
- POP-SMALL 37K
- PHOTO-NEAR Marion County
- VOUCH-90-110 $759–$927
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Marion ($424 1BR gap)
Read with: How Fair Market Rent works
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $745 | $738 | $-7 (-0.9%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $816 | $843 | +$27 (+3.3%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,049 | $1,030 | $-19 (-1.8%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,397 | $1,390 | $-7 (-0.5%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,636 | $1,634 | $-2 (-0.1%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Putnam 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 Putnam sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$1,030 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 Putnam compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Indiana counties
- Marion
Marion County
$1,267 1BR FMR / mo
- Hamilton
Hamilton County
$1,267 1BR FMR / mo
- St. Joseph
St. Joseph County
$1,105 1BR FMR / mo
- Lake
Lake County
$1,082 1BR FMR / mo
- Elkhart
Elkhart County
$992 1BR FMR / mo
- Allen
Allen County
$916 1BR FMR / mo
- Putnam
Putnam County
$843 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Putnam is highlighted. Nearby Indiana counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Marion County ($1,267), Hamilton County ($1,267), St. Joseph County ($1,105), Lake County ($1,082), Elkhart County ($992), Allen County ($916), Putnam County (this county) ($843).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
How a 1-bedroom at $843/mo compares to Indiana salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).
| Occupation | IN Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $108,410 | 9.3% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $103,570 | 9.8% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $80,740 | 12.5% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $77,410 | 13.1% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $71,540 | 14.1% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $65,480 | 15.4% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $60,090 | 16.8% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $58,370 | 17.3% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $50,690 | 20% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $41,600 | 24.3% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $40,020 | 25.3% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $35,240 | 28.7% | Affordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $30,460 | 33.2% | Stretched |
| Retail Salespersons | $30,300 | 33.4% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $28,290 | 35.8% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Putnam County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Putnam (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 45.1% overall, from $581 to $843. The path there hasn't been smooth: year-over-year moves have swung by as much as 23.6% (FY 2024), a volatility pattern that makes single-year comparisons a poor guide to the underlying trend.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑3.3% | $738 | $843 | $1,030 |
| FY 2025 ↓4.6% | $745 | $816 | $1,049 |
| FY 2024 ↑23.6% | $827 | $855 | $1,124 |
| FY 2023 ↑15.3% | $663 | $692 | $901 |
| FY 2022 ↑1.7% | $589 | $600 | $769 |
| FY 2021 ↑1.5% | $572 | $590 | $762 |
| FY 2020 | $570 | $581 | $754 |
Part of the Greencastle, IN Micro Area
Putnam County is a central county of the Greencastle, IN micropolitan statistical area.
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Putnam County, both outside Indiana 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 IN (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside IN).
Nearby Counties in Indiana
Largest counties by population in Indiana
Showing the 8 largest of 91 other counties in Indiana.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Putnam County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Putnam County is $843 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,030 and a studio is $738.
How does Putnam County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Putnam County is 12% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $843 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Putnam County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Putnam County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,030 ranks #1,573 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 Putnam County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $33,720 ($2,810/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Putnam County.
Is rent going up or down in Putnam County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Putnam County increased by 3.3% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $816 to $843.
Which jobs can afford rent in Putnam County?
Based on Indiana BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like General and Operations Managers, Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $843/mo. 12 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Putnam County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Putnam County went from $581 in FY 2020 to $843 in FY 2026, a total change of +45.1% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Putnam County?
In Putnam County, the FY 2026 FMR of $843/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 Putnam County?
For Putnam County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($843/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Putnam County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 1.8%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.
What is the unemployment rate in Putnam County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 3.3% over the past 12 months, a tight labor market that typically supports steadier rent demand.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Putnam'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 $843 implies about $33,720/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- Indiana counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Marion
- See where Putnam 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.