Metro FMR · CBSA 19780 · HUD FY2026

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 16% above the US average.

$1,109
1-bedroom FMR
$1,318
2-bedroom FMR
+9.0%
YoY change
+16%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,318 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 12% above the US average, higher than 51% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#190
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+12%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$52,720
income to afford it (30% rule)
+9.0%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Des Moines-West Des Moines: #190 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $84,209, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.8% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 711,490 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

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.

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

$1,063/mo

15.1% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,109/mo

15.8% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,318/mo

18.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,794/mo

25.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,841/mo

26.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·19780

Des Moines-West Des Moines: $1,109/mo 1BR · #190 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 19780

  • CBSA 19780
  • 1BR-FMR $1,109
  • 2BR-FMR $1,318
  • RANK-MID #190
  • YOY-SURGE +9.0%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +16%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #8 IA
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MAJOR 711K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Benton County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $998–$1,220
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Benton County ($380 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Des Moines-West Des Moines sits among every US metro

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

$1,318 higher than 51% 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.

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

CBSA 19780

Counties inside Des Moines-West Des Moines

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 19780, but county-level schedules inside Des Moines-West Des Moines still diverge: 6 counties range from $1,008 (2BR in Jasper) to $1,318 (Polk), a 31% spread. Polk is the largest county by population.

Polk County 2BR $1,318 · 493K Dallas County 2BR $1,318 · 100K Warren County 2BR $1,318 · 53K Jasper County 2BR $1,008 · 38K Madison County 2BR $1,318 · 17K Guthrie County 2BR $1,318 · 11K

Des Moines-West Des Moines studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #190 nationally

1BR $1,109 (+16% vs US, +9.0% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 19780.

Studio
$1,063
US avg $893
↑11.4% YoY +19% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,109
US avg $959
↑9.0% YoY +16% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,318
US avg $1,175
↑8.4% YoY +12% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,794
US avg $1,525
↑9.9% YoY +18% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,841
US avg $1,756
↑12.4% YoY +5% vs US

How Des Moines-West Des Moines compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other IA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Des Moines-West Des Moines highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Des Moines-West Des Moines: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Des Moines-West Des Moines 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).

Harrisonburg
VA · 2 BR $1,322/mo
Huntsville
AL · 2 BR $1,310/mo
Monroe
MI · 2 BR $1,326/mo
Kankakee
IL · 2 BR $1,326/mo

Burden % · outside IA

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

Erie County
OH · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,106/mo
Mankato
MN · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,171/mo
Cochran County
TX · 18.7% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Elizabethtown
KY · 18.7% of income · 2 BR $1,056/mo

Des Moines-West Des Moines: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,109 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,318 and a studio is $1,063.
How does Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 16% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,109 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Des Moines-West Des Moines rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,318 ranks #190 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 19780, but 6 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,008–$1,318 for a 2-bedroom (31% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Des Moines-West Des Moines vs Benton 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 $1,109/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.