Metro FMR · CBSA 12940 · HUD FY2026

Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 11% above the US average.

$1,064
1-bedroom FMR
$1,204
2-bedroom FMR
-1.6%
YoY change
+11%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,204 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 2% above the US average, lower than 63% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#144
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+2%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$48,160
income to afford it (30% rule)
-1.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Baton Rouge: #144 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $68,910, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Baton Rouge in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 869,755 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+5.0%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 9.8%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,108/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,204 runs 8.7% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 47.5% of the 100,636 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$1,032/mo

18.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,064/mo

18.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,204/mo

21.0% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,511/mo

26.3% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,943/mo

33.8% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·12940

Baton Rouge: $1,064/mo 1BR · #144 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 12940

  • CBSA 12940
  • 1BR-FMR $1,064
  • 2BR-FMR $1,204
  • RANK-MID #144
  • YOY-FLAT -1.6%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +11%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #8 LA
  • INC-ROOM 19%
  • POP-MAJOR 870K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Acadia Parish
  • VOUCH-90-110 $958–$1,170
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Acadia Parish ($393 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Baton Rouge sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,204 higher than 37% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. 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.

What this shows #144 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 2% above the national 2-bedroom average. 94 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 12940

Counties inside Baton Rouge

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 12940, but county-level schedules inside Baton Rouge still diverge: 10 counties range from $866 (2BR in Iberville Parish) to $1,204 (East Baton Rouge Parish), a 39% spread. East Baton Rouge Parish is the largest county by population.

East Baton Rouge Parish 2BR $1,204 · 454K Livingston Parish 2BR $1,204 · 143K Ascension Parish 2BR $1,204 · 127K Iberville Parish 2BR $866 · 30K West Baton Rouge Parish 2BR $1,204 · 27K Assumption Parish 2BR $967 · 21K

Showing the 6 largest of 10 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Baton Rouge studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #144 most affordable

1BR $1,064 (+11% vs US, -1.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 12940.

Studio
$1,032
US avg $893
↓2.9% YoY +16% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,064
US avg $959
↓1.6% YoY +11% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,204
US avg $1,175
↓1.5% YoY +2% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,511
US avg $1,525
↓1.1% YoY -1% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,943
US avg $1,756
↓4.0% YoY +11% vs US

How Baton Rouge compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other LA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Baton Rouge highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Baton Rouge: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Baton Rouge with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside LA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside LA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Springfield
IL · 2 BR $1,203/mo
St. Cloud
MN · 2 BR $1,206/mo
Longview
TX · 2 BR $1,199/mo
Bloomington
IN · 2 BR $1,210/mo

Burden % · outside LA

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Grand Junction
CO · 21% of income · 2 BR $1,249/mo
Gadsden
AL · 21% of income · 2 BR $927/mo
Fayette County
WV · 21% of income · 2 BR $915/mo
Lynchburg
VA · 21% of income · 2 BR $1,187/mo

Baton Rouge: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,064 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,204 and a studio is $1,032.
How does Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 11% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,064 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Baton Rouge rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,204 ranks #144 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Baton Rouge metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 12940, but 10 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $866–$1,204 for a 2-bedroom (39% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Baton Rouge's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+5.0%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 9.8%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Baton Rouge vs Acadia Parish →

What this means for renters

Treat Baton Rouge'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 $1,064 implies about $42,560/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Baton Rouge stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Acadia Parish
  • See where Baton Rouge ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 10 counties; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $1,064/mo · 1BR LA

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.