County FMR · HUD FY2026
Will County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Will County, IL - 65% above the US average.
- $1,581
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,781
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +1.3%
- YoY change
- +65%
- vs US avg
The verdict
Will is the 2nd most expensive of 102 counties in Illinois by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #252 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #252
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #2
- most expensive of 102 in Illinois (2BR)
- +85%
- vs the state average
- $63,240
- income to afford it (30% rule)
Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (14.8%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (59.5%); nearby Illinois counties range as much as 77% apart in 1-bedroom FMR, so the county line itself can matter for renters comparing options.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Will County, IL. Verify with HUD →
HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Will County, Illinois at $1,581 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,781/mo and a studio is $1,480/mo. This is 65% higher than the national average of $959 and 85% above the Illinois average of $854.
Rent increased1.3% from FY 2025 ($1,560), roughly tracking inflation. Clearing the 30% rule here takes $63,240/year, a high bar relative to most US counties.
Observed renter burden: 45.4% of the 42,182 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 Illinois. Population: 696,774. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.4%, Census ACS). That's faster than Illinois's statewide growth of -1.0% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area WILL·COUNTY·IL·IL
Will County, IL: $1,581/mo 1BR · #252 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA IL
- 1BR-FMR $1,581
- 2BR-FMR $1,781
- RANK-UPPER #252
- YOY-FLAT +1.3%
- VSUS-HIGH +65%
- VS-ST-HIGH +85% IL
- INC-ROOM 18%
- POP-MAJOR 697K
- PHOTO-FINISH Cook County
- VOUCH-90-110 $1,423–$1,739
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Cook ($0 1BR gap)
Read with: Understanding rent burden
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,458 | $1,480 | +$22 (+1.5%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,560 | $1,581 | +$21 (+1.3%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,761 | $1,781 | +$20 (+1.1%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,262 | $2,294 | +$32 (+1.4%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,657 | $2,653 | $-4 (-0.2%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in Will 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 Will sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$1,781 Top 8% higher than 92% 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 Will compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Illinois counties
- Will
Will County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Cook
Cook County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- DuPage
DuPage County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Lake
Lake County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Kane
Kane County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- McHenry
McHenry County
$1,581 1BR FMR / mo
- Winnebago
Winnebago County
$895 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows Will is highlighted. Nearby Illinois counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Will County (this county) ($1,581), Cook County ($1,581), DuPage County ($1,581), Lake County ($1,581), Kane County ($1,581), McHenry County ($1,581), Winnebago County ($895).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
Against a high local FMR of $1,581/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using Illinois BLS wages?
| Occupation | IL Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $127,770 | 14.8% | Affordable |
| General & Operations Managers | $101,430 | 18.7% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $101,530 | 18.7% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $96,360 | 19.7% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $86,410 | 22% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $79,300 | 23.9% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $64,160 | 29.6% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $62,290 | 30.5% | Stretched |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $59,790 | 31.7% | Stretched |
| Customer Service Representatives | $44,910 | 42.2% | Stretched |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $44,610 | 42.5% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $37,010 | 51.3% | Unaffordable |
| Teaching Assistants | $35,780 | 53% | Unaffordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $34,490 | 55% | Unaffordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $31,900 | 59.5% | Unaffordable |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for Will County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Will (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 46.9% overall, from $1,076 to $1,581. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +20.1% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑1.3% | $1,480 | $1,581 | $1,781 |
| FY 2025 ↑3.5% | $1,458 | $1,560 | $1,761 |
| FY 2024 ↑20.1% | $1,399 | $1,507 | $1,714 |
| FY 2023 ↑8.1% | $1,158 | $1,255 | $1,440 |
| FY 2022 ↑3.5% | $1,059 | $1,161 | $1,340 |
| FY 2021 ↑4.3% | $1,012 | $1,122 | $1,299 |
| FY 2020 | $956 | $1,076 | $1,248 |
Part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area
Will County is a central county of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan statistical area, alongside 12 other metro-area counties.
Will County ranks #6 of 13 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Cook County ($1,581), DuPage County ($1,581), Lake County ($1,581), Kane County ($1,581), McHenry County ($1,581), Will County (this county) ($1,581), Kendall County ($1,562), Grundy County ($1,118), Lake County ($1,082), Porter County ($1,082), Newton County ($1,082), DeKalb County ($1,046), Jasper County ($895).
Show all 13 counties in this metro area
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Will County, both outside Illinois 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 IL (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside IL).
Nearby Counties in Illinois
Largest counties by population in Illinois
Showing the 8 largest of 101 other counties in Illinois.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Will County? ▼
How does Will County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Where does Will County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
What income do I need to afford rent in Will County? ▼
Is rent going up or down in Will County? ▼
Which jobs can afford rent in Will County? ▼
How much has rent changed in Will County over time? ▼
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Will County? ▼
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Will 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.