County FMR · HUD FY2026
Ripley County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Ripley County, MO - 24% below the US average.
- $731
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $888
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +10.1%
- YoY change
- -24%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Ripley is the 46th cheapest of 116 counties in Missouri by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #347 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 10.1% since FY 2025, a sharp move relative to most counties.
- #347
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #46
- cheapest of 116 in Missouri (2BR)
- -6%
- vs the state average
- $29,240
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (7.7%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (30.2%); 14 of 15 common occupations here can afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent without exceeding the 30% threshold.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Ripley County, MO. Verify with HUD →
Ripley County, Missouri carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $731 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $888/mo and a studio is $660/mo. That's 24% below the national benchmark of $959 and 6% below the Missouri average of $777.
Rent increased10.1% from FY 2025 ($664), outpacing inflation. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $29,240/year.
Observed renter burden: 44.5% of the 851 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 12.3%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 4.6% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Missouri. Population: 10,839. Population declined 21.5% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels. That's slower than Missouri's statewide growth of +1.3% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area RIPLEY·COUNTY·MO·MO
Ripley County, MO: $731/mo 1BR · #347 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA MO
- 1BR-FMR $731
- 2BR-FMR $888
- RANK-MID #347
- YOY-SURGE +10.1%
- VSUS-BELOW -24%
- VS-ST-NEAR -6% MO
- INC-ROOM 20%
- POP-SMALL 11K
- PHOTO-NEAR St. Louis County
- VOUCH-90-110 $658–$804
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: St. Louis ($264 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $615 | $660 | +$45 (+7.3%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $664 | $731 | +$67 (+10.1%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $824 | $888 | +$64 (+7.8%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,020 | $1,141 | +$121 (+11.9%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,312 | $1,420 | +$108 (+8.2%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Ripley 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 Ripley sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$888 higher than 11% 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 Ripley compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Missouri counties
- Jackson
Jackson County
$1,197 1BR FMR / mo
- Clay
Clay County
$1,197 1BR FMR / mo
- St. Louis
St. Louis County
$995 1BR FMR / mo
- St. Charles
St. Charles County
$995 1BR FMR / mo
- St. Louis city
St. Louis city
$995 1BR FMR / mo
- Greene
Greene County
$883 1BR FMR / mo
- Ripley
Ripley County
$731 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Ripley is highlighted. Nearby Missouri counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Jackson County ($1,197), Clay County ($1,197), St. Louis County ($995), St. Charles County ($995), St. Louis city ($995), Greene County ($883), Ripley County (this county) ($731).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $731/mo, most of these Missouri occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | MO Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $114,550 | 7.7% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $79,770 | 11% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $77,410 | 11.3% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $73,210 | 12% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $70,950 | 12.4% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $60,720 | 14.4% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $58,730 | 14.9% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $50,540 | 17.4% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $48,250 | 18.2% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $41,850 | 21% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $37,990 | 23.1% | Affordable |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $34,080 | 25.7% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $31,250 | 28.1% | Affordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $29,310 | 29.9% | Affordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $29,060 | 30.2% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Ripley County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Ripley (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 40.0% overall, from $522 to $731. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 10.6% (FY 2024).
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑10.1% | $660 | $731 | $888 |
| FY 2025 ↑5.9% | $615 | $664 | $824 |
| FY 2024 ↑10.6% | $601 | $627 | $797 |
| FY 2023 ↑8.8% | $549 | $567 | $746 |
| FY 2022 ↑1.8% | $489 | $521 | $685 |
| FY 2021 ↓1.9% | $457 | $512 | $662 |
| FY 2020 | $426 | $522 | $634 |
Where Ripley County Ranks in Missouri
Ripley 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 #46 of 116 counties in Missouri. Nearest by rank: Oregon County ($888), Ozark County ($888), Pemiscot County ($888), Polk County ($888), Putnam County ($888), Ralls County ($888), Randolph County ($888), Reynolds County ($888), Ripley County (this county) ($888), Saline County ($888), Schuyler County ($888), Scotland County ($888), Shannon County ($888), Shelby County ($888), St. Clair County ($888), Stoddard County ($888), Sullivan County ($888).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Ripley 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).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside MO).
Nearby Counties in Missouri
Largest counties by population in Missouri
Showing the 8 largest of 115 other counties in Missouri.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Ripley County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Ripley County is $731 per month. A 2-bedroom is $888 and a studio is $660.
How does Ripley County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in Ripley County is 24% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $731 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Ripley County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Ripley County's 2-bedroom FMR of $888 ranks #347 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the lower-rent quarter of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Ripley County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $29,240 ($2,437/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Ripley County.
Is rent going up or down in Ripley County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Ripley County increased by 10.1% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $664 to $731.
Which jobs can afford rent in Ripley 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 $731/mo. 14 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Ripley County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Ripley County went from $522 in FY 2020 to $731 in FY 2026, a total change of +40.0% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Ripley County?
In Ripley County, the FY 2026 FMR of $731/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 Ripley County?
For Ripley County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($731/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in Ripley County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 12.3%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.
What is the unemployment rate in Ripley County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 4.6% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat Ripley'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 $731 implies about $29,240/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- Missouri counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs St. Louis
- See where Ripley 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.