County FMR · HUD FY2026
Union County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Union County, MS - 17% below the US average.
- $795
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $872
- 2-bedroom FMR
- -5.7%
- YoY change
- -17%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Union is the 33rd most expensive of 82 counties in Mississippi by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #190 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has fallen 5.7% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.
- #190
- most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #33
- most expensive of 82 in Mississippi (2BR)
- +2%
- vs the state average
- $31,800
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (10.8%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (43.8%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Union County, MS. Verify with HUD →
The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Union County, Mississippi is $795 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $872/mo and a studio is $760/mo. This is 17% lower than the national average of $959 and 2% above the Mississippi average of $782.
Rent decreased5.7% from FY 2025 ($843), declining against the trend. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $31,800/year.
Observed renter burden: 32.6% of the 2,523 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 Mississippi. Population: 27,880. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-1.2%, Census ACS). That's in line with Mississippi's statewide growth of -1.2% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area UNION·COUNTY·MS·MS
Union County, MS: $795/mo 1BR · #190 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA MS
- 1BR-FMR $795
- 2BR-FMR $872
- RANK-LOW #190
- YOY-DOWN -5.7%
- VSUS-BELOW -17%
- VS-ST-NEAR +2% MS
- INC-ROOM 17%
- POP-SMALL 28K
- PHOTO-NEAR Hinds County
- VOUCH-90-110 $716–$875
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Hinds ($302 1BR gap)
Read with: Section 8 housing guide
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $811 | $760 | $-51 (-6.3%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $843 | $795 | $-48 (-5.7%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $933 | $872 | $-61 (-6.5%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,202 | $1,082 | $-120 (-10.0%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,237 | $1,155 | $-82 (-6.6%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Union 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 Union sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$872 higher than 6% 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 Union 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
- Union
Union County
$795 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Union 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), Union County (this county) ($795).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
With a below-average 1-bedroom at $795/mo, most of these Mississippi occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.
| Occupation | MS Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $88,290 | 10.8% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $86,460 | 11% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $74,470 | 12.8% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $64,170 | 14.9% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $57,300 | 16.6% | Affordable |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $50,700 | 18.8% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $48,440 | 19.7% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $45,610 | 20.9% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $39,120 | 24.4% | Affordable |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $38,210 | 25% | Affordable |
| Customer Service Representatives | $35,580 | 26.8% | Affordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $27,810 | 34.3% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $27,610 | 34.6% | Stretched |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $22,280 | 42.8% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $21,790 | 43.8% | Stretched |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Union County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Union (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 37.8% overall, from $577 to $795. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +18.6% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↓5.7% | $760 | $795 | $872 |
| FY 2025 ↑4.9% | $811 | $843 | $933 |
| FY 2024 ↑18.6% | $783 | $804 | $903 |
| FY 2023 ↑9.5% | $663 | $678 | $766 |
| FY 2022 ↑3.2% | $608 | $619 | $705 |
| FY 2021 ↑4.0% | $586 | $600 | $684 |
| FY 2020 | $492 | $577 | $657 |
Where Union County Ranks in Mississippi
Union 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 #50 of 82 counties in Mississippi. Nearest by rank: Yalobusha County ($842), Lincoln County ($852), Amite County ($855), Simpson County ($858), Marion County ($860), Lawrence County ($863), Clarke County ($867), Lowndes County ($872), Union County (this county) ($872), Panola County ($878), Itawamba County ($891), Lauderdale County ($906), Grenada County ($911), Jones County ($917), George County ($921), Walthall County ($923), Pontotoc County ($932).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Union 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 Union County? ▼
How does Union County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Union County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Union County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Union County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Union County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Union County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Union County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Union 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.