Metro FMR · CBSA 16300 · HUD FY2026

Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 24% below the US average.

$729
1-bedroom FMR
$956
2-bedroom FMR
+9.1%
YoY change
-24%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $956 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 19% below the US average, lower than 97% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#13
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-19%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$38,240
income to afford it (30% rule)
+9.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Benton County: #13 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $77,084, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 11.3% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Benton County in the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 275,693 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR is in the lowest national tenth (#13 most affordable of 387 metros), though the household budget still depends on local income.

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

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

$659/mo

10.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$729/mo

11.3% of median income

2 Bedroom

$956/mo

14.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,209/mo

18.8% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,348/mo

21.0% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·16300

Benton County: $729/mo 1BR · #13 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 16300

  • CBSA 16300
  • 1BR-FMR $729
  • 2BR-FMR $956
  • RANK-LOW #13
  • YOY-SURGE +9.1%
  • VSUS-BELOW -24%
  • IN-ST-LOW #1 IA
  • INC-ROOM 11%
  • POP-MAJOR 276K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Boone County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $656–$802
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Boone County ($59 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Benton County sits among every US metro

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

$956 higher than 3% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). This entry sits in this band. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Above this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $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.

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

CBSA 16300

Counties inside Benton County

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 16300, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($919–$1,071, 17% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Linn County 2BR $1,071 · 229K Benton County 2BR $956 · 26K Jones County 2BR $919 · 21K

Benton County studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #13 most affordable

1BR $729 (-24% vs US, +9.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 16300.

Studio
$659
US avg $893
↑9.7% YoY -26% vs US
1 Bedroom
$729
US avg $959
↑9.1% YoY -24% vs US
2 Bedroom
$956
US avg $1,175
↑9.0% YoY -19% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,209
US avg $1,525
↑6.1% YoY -21% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,348
US avg $1,756
↑5.0% YoY -23% vs US

How Benton County compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other IA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Benton County highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Benton County: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside IA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Davidson County
NC · 2 BR $960/mo
Decatur
AL · 2 BR $961/mo
Dothan
AL · 2 BR $950/mo
Anniston-Oxford
AL · 2 BR $962/mo

Burden % · outside IA

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

McHenry County
ND · 15.2% of income · 2 BR $1,000/mo
Rock County
MN · 14.3% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Bond County
IL · 14.1% of income · 2 BR $916/mo
Austin County
TX · 16.3% of income · 2 BR $1,095/mo

Benton County: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area is $729 per month. A 2-bedroom is $956 and a studio is $659.
How does Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 24% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $729 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Benton County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $956 ranks #13 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Benton County metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 16300, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $919–$1,071 for a 2-bedroom (17% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Benton County vs Boone County →

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 $729/mo · 1BR IA

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.