Metro FMR · CBSA 20740 · HUD FY2026

Eau Claire, WI MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Eau Claire, WI MSA metro area - 0% above the US average.

$962
1-bedroom FMR
$1,181
2-bedroom FMR
+8.2%
YoY change
+0%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Eau Claire, WI MSA area rents at $1,181 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 1% above the US average, lower than 67% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#129
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+1%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$47,240
income to afford it (30% rule)
+8.2%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Eau Claire: #129 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $72,513, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.9% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 171,951 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.8%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.7%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $974/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,181 runs 21.3% 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: 37.4% of the 22,822 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

$932/mo

15.4% of median income

1 Bedroom

$962/mo

15.9% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,181/mo

19.5% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,582/mo

26.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,588/mo

26.3% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·20740

Eau Claire: $962/mo 1BR · #129 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 20740

  • CBSA 20740
  • 1BR-FMR $962
  • 2BR-FMR $1,181
  • RANK-MID #129
  • YOY-SURGE +8.2%
  • VSUS-NEAR +0%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #10 WI
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MID 172K
  • PHOTO-FINISH Appleton
  • VOUCH-90-110 $866–$1,058
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Appleton ($2 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Eau Claire sits among every US metro

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

$1,181 higher than 33% of 387 metro areas

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

What this shows #129 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 1% above the national 2-bedroom average. 113 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 20740

Counties inside Eau Claire

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 20740, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,181–$1,181, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Eau Claire County 2BR $1,181 · 106K Chippewa County 2BR $1,181 · 66K

Eau Claire studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #129 most affordable

1BR $962 (+0% vs US, +8.2% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 20740.

Studio
$932
US avg $893
↑12.2% YoY +4% vs US
1 Bedroom
$962
US avg $959
↑8.2% YoY +0% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,181
US avg $1,175
↑8.2% YoY +1% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,582
US avg $1,525
↑5.0% YoY +4% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,588
US avg $1,756
↑0.4% YoY -10% vs US

How Eau Claire compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other WI metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Eau Claire: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside WI

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Auburn-Opelika
AL · 2 BR $1,181/mo
Lawrence
KS · 2 BR $1,182/mo
Elkhart-Goshen
IN · 2 BR $1,183/mo
Niles
MI · 2 BR $1,184/mo

Burden % · outside WI

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

Custer County
SD · 19.6% of income · 2 BR $1,173/mo
York-Hanover
PA · 19.5% of income · 2 BR $1,335/mo
Geary County
KS · 19.6% of income · 2 BR $1,048/mo
Michigan City-La Porte
IN · 19.6% of income · 2 BR $1,152/mo

Eau Claire: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Eau Claire, WI MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Eau Claire, WI MSA is $962 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,181 and a studio is $932.
How does Eau Claire, WI MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Eau Claire, WI MSA metro area is 0% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $962 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Eau Claire rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,181 ranks #129 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Eau Claire metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 20740, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,181–$1,181 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Eau Claire's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.8%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.7%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Eau Claire vs Appleton →

What this means for renters

Treat Eau Claire'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 $962 implies about $38,480/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Eau Claire stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Appleton
  • See where Eau Claire 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 2 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 $962/mo · 1BR WI

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.