Metro FMR · CBSA 19460 · HUD FY2026

Decatur, AL MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Decatur, AL MSA metro area - 19% below the US average.

$776
1-bedroom FMR
$961
2-bedroom FMR
+2.6%
YoY change
-19%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Decatur, AL MSA area rents at $961 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 18% below the US average, lower than 97% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#13
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-18%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$38,440
income to afford it (30% rule)
+2.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Decatur: #13 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $63,987, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 14.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 156,218 residents, this is a smaller-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.

Observed renter burden: 35.2% of the 15,847 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

$755/mo

14.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$776/mo

14.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$961/mo

18.0% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,262/mo

23.7% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,550/mo

29.1% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·19460

Decatur: $776/mo 1BR · #13 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 19460

  • CBSA 19460
  • 1BR-FMR $776
  • 2BR-FMR $961
  • RANK-LOW #13
  • YOY-UP +2.6%
  • VSUS-BELOW -19%
  • IN-ST-LOW #4 AL
  • INC-ROOM 15%
  • POP-MID 156K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anniston-Oxford
  • VOUCH-90-110 $698–$854
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anniston-Oxford ($19 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Decatur sits among every US metro

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

$961 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 19460

Counties inside Decatur

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 19460, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($961–$961, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Morgan County 2BR $961 · 123K Lawrence County 2BR $961 · 33K

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

1BR $776 (-19% vs US, +2.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 19460.

Studio
$755
US avg $893
↑4.0% YoY -15% vs US
1 Bedroom
$776
US avg $959
↑2.6% YoY -19% vs US
2 Bedroom
$961
US avg $1,175
↑4.1% YoY -18% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,262
US avg $1,525
↑4.0% YoY -17% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,550
US avg $1,756
↑6.5% YoY -12% vs US

How Decatur compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other AL metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Decatur: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside AL

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Davidson County
NC · 2 BR $960/mo
Benton County
IA · 2 BR $956/mo
Massac County
IL · 2 BR $969/mo
Youngstown-Warren
OH · 2 BR $973/mo

Burden % · outside AL

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

Lyon County
NV · 18% of income · 2 BR $1,272/mo
Green Bay
WI · 18% of income · 2 BR $1,164/mo
Wausau
WI · 18.1% of income · 2 BR $1,147/mo
Cheyenne
WY · 18.1% of income · 2 BR $1,174/mo

Decatur: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Decatur, AL MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Decatur, AL MSA is $776 per month. A 2-bedroom is $961 and a studio is $755.
How does Decatur, AL MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Decatur, AL MSA metro area is 19% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $776 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Decatur rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $961 ranks #13 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Decatur metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 19460, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $961–$961 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Decatur vs Anniston-Oxford →

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 $776/mo · 1BR AL

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.