Metro FMR · CBSA 29200 · HUD FY2026

Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 8% above the US average.

$1,032
1-bedroom FMR
$1,242
2-bedroom FMR
+6.3%
YoY change
+8%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,242 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 6% above the US average, lower than 59% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#160
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+6%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$49,680
income to afford it (30% rule)
+6.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Lafayette-West Lafayette: #160 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $59,895, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 20.7% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 224,515 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.2%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.4%, 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 $1,071/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,242 runs 16.0% 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: 50.7% of the 37,163 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

$894/mo

17.9% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,032/mo

20.7% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,242/mo

24.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,489/mo

29.8% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,992/mo

39.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·29200

Lafayette-West Lafayette: $1,032/mo 1BR · #160 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 29200

  • CBSA 29200
  • 1BR-FMR $1,032
  • 2BR-FMR $1,242
  • RANK-MID #160
  • YOY-SURGE +6.3%
  • VSUS-NEAR +8%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #8 IN
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MID 225K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bloomington
  • VOUCH-90-110 $929–$1,135
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bloomington ($40 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Lafayette-West Lafayette sits among every US metro

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

$1,242 higher than 41% 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.

What this shows #160 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 6% above the national 2-bedroom average. 94 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 29200

Counties inside Lafayette-West Lafayette

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 29200, but county-level schedules inside Lafayette-West Lafayette still diverge: 4 counties range from $956 (2BR in Warren) to $1,242 (Tippecanoe), a 30% spread. Tippecanoe is the largest county by population.

Tippecanoe County 2BR $1,242 · 187K Carroll County 2BR $973 · 20K Benton County 2BR $1,242 · 9K Warren County 2BR $956 · 8K

Lafayette-West Lafayette studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #160 most affordable

1BR $1,032 (+8% vs US, +6.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 29200.

Studio
$894
US avg $893
↑7.6% YoY +0% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,032
US avg $959
↑6.3% YoY +8% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,242
US avg $1,175
↑7.0% YoY +6% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,489
US avg $1,525
↑6.4% YoY -2% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,992
US avg $1,756
↑13.8% YoY +13% vs US

How Lafayette-West Lafayette compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other IN metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Lafayette-West Lafayette: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside IN

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Logan
UT · 2 BR $1,241/mo
Oklahoma City
OK · 2 BR $1,244/mo
Goldsboro
NC · 2 BR $1,244/mo
Janesville-Beloit
WI · 2 BR $1,246/mo

Burden % · outside IN

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

Yuba City
CA · 24.9% of income · 2 BR $1,550/mo
Victoria
TX · 24.9% of income · 2 BR $1,442/mo
Boulder
CO · 24.8% of income · 2 BR $2,124/mo
Albany
GA · 25% of income · 2 BR $1,129/mo

Lafayette-West Lafayette: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,032 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,242 and a studio is $894.
How does Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 8% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,032 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Lafayette-West Lafayette rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,242 ranks #160 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Lafayette-West Lafayette metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 29200, but 4 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $956–$1,242 for a 2-bedroom (30% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Lafayette-West Lafayette's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.2%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.4%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Lafayette-West Lafayette vs Bloomington →

What this means for renters

Treat Lafayette-West Lafayette'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 $1,032 implies about $41,280/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Lafayette-West Lafayette stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Bloomington
  • See where Lafayette-West Lafayette 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 4 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 $1,032/mo · 1BR IN

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.