Metro FMR · CBSA 25620 · HUD FY2026

Hattiesburg, MS MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Hattiesburg, MS MSA metro area - 7% below the US average.

$888
1-bedroom FMR
$1,047
2-bedroom FMR
+13.4%
YoY change
-7%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Hattiesburg, MS MSA area rents at $1,047 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 11% below the US average, lower than 88% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#47
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-11%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$41,880
income to afford it (30% rule)
+13.4%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Hattiesburg: #47 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $59,008, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.1% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Hattiesburg in the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 153,853 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.9%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 7.1%, 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 $987/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,047 runs 6.1% 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 lower-rent quarter 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: 44.0% of the 21,651 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

$766/mo

15.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$888/mo

18.1% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,047/mo

21.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,348/mo

27.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,386/mo

28.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·25620

Hattiesburg: $888/mo 1BR · #47 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 25620

  • CBSA 25620
  • 1BR-FMR $888
  • 2BR-FMR $1,047
  • RANK-MID #47
  • YOY-SURGE +13.4%
  • VSUS-NEAR -7%
  • IN-ST-LOW #1 MS
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MID 154K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Gulfport-Biloxi
  • VOUCH-90-110 $799–$977
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Gulfport-Biloxi ($35 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Hattiesburg sits among every US metro

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

$1,047 higher than 12% 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 #47 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 11% below 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 25620

Counties inside Hattiesburg

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 25620, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,047–$1,047, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Forrest County 2BR $1,047 · 78K Lamar County 2BR $1,047 · 64K Perry County 2BR $1,047 · 12K

Hattiesburg studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #47 most affordable

1BR $888 (-7% vs US, +13.4% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 25620.

Studio
$766
US avg $893
↑16.8% YoY -14% vs US
1 Bedroom
$888
US avg $959
↑13.4% YoY -7% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,047
US avg $1,175
↑12.2% YoY -11% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,348
US avg $1,525
↑9.4% YoY -12% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,386
US avg $1,756
↑12.0% YoY -21% vs US

How Hattiesburg compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs metros with similar rent levels

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Hattiesburg: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside MS

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Brownsville-Harlingen
TX · 2 BR $1,047/mo
Geary County
KS · 2 BR $1,048/mo
Kingsport-Bristol
TN · 2 BR $1,044/mo
Waterloo-Cedar Falls
IA · 2 BR $1,051/mo

Burden % · outside MS

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

Louisville
KY · 21.3% of income · 2 BR $1,272/mo
Staunton-Stuarts Draft
VA · 21.3% of income · 2 BR $1,261/mo
Akron
OH · 21.3% of income · 2 BR $1,268/mo
Springfield
MO · 21.4% of income · 2 BR $1,095/mo

Hattiesburg: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Hattiesburg, MS MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Hattiesburg, MS MSA is $888 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,047 and a studio is $766.
How does Hattiesburg, MS MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Hattiesburg, MS MSA metro area is 7% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $888 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Hattiesburg rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,047 ranks #47 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Hattiesburg metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 25620, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,047–$1,047 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Hattiesburg's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.9%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 7.1%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Hattiesburg vs Gulfport-Biloxi →

What this means for renters

Treat Hattiesburg'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 $888 implies about $35,520/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Hattiesburg stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Gulfport-Biloxi
  • See where Hattiesburg 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 3 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 $888/mo · 1BR MS

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.