Metro FMR · CBSA 30460 · HUD FY2026

Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA metro area - 13% above the US average.

$1,079
1-bedroom FMR
$1,272
2-bedroom FMR
+9.9%
YoY change
+13%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA area rents at $1,272 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 8% above the US average, lower than 54% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#179
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+8%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$50,880
income to afford it (30% rule)
+9.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Lexington-Fayette: #179 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $70,717, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 18.3% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 515,954 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

$883/mo

15.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,079/mo

18.3% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,272/mo

21.6% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,743/mo

29.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,940/mo

32.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·30460

Lexington-Fayette: $1,079/mo 1BR · #179 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 30460

  • CBSA 30460
  • 1BR-FMR $1,079
  • 2BR-FMR $1,272
  • RANK-MID #179
  • YOY-SURGE +9.9%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +13%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #5 KY
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MAJOR 516K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Allen County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $971–$1,187
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Allen County ($320 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Lexington-Fayette sits among every US metro

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

$1,272 higher than 46% 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 30460

Counties inside Lexington-Fayette

Across 6 HUD counties in CBSA 30460, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,272–$1,272, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Fayette County 2BR $1,272 · 321K Scott County 2BR $1,272 · 57K Jessamine County 2BR $1,272 · 53K Clark County 2BR $1,272 · 37K Woodford County 2BR $1,272 · 27K Bourbon County 2BR $1,272 · 20K

Lexington-Fayette studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #179 most affordable

1BR $1,079 (+13% vs US, +9.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 30460.

Studio
$883
US avg $893
↑10.5% YoY -1% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,079
US avg $959
↑9.9% YoY +13% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,272
US avg $1,175
↑9.2% YoY +8% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,743
US avg $1,525
↑10.1% YoY +14% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,940
US avg $1,756
↑8.9% YoY +10% vs US

How Lexington-Fayette compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other KY metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Lexington-Fayette highlighted among 4 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Lexington-Fayette: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside KY

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Lyon County
NV · 2 BR $1,272/mo
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek
OH · 2 BR $1,273/mo
Sebring
FL · 2 BR $1,271/mo
Memphis
TN · 2 BR $1,274/mo

Burden % · outside KY

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

Glens Falls
NY · 21.6% of income · 2 BR $1,348/mo
Kokomo
IN · 21.6% of income · 2 BR $1,123/mo
Hall County
NE · 21.6% of income · 2 BR $1,215/mo
Elkhart-Goshen
IN · 21.6% of income · 2 BR $1,183/mo

Lexington-Fayette: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA is $1,079 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,272 and a studio is $883.
How does Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA metro area is 13% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,079 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Lexington-Fayette rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,272 ranks #179 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Lexington-Fayette metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 30460, but 6 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,272–$1,272 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Lexington-Fayette vs Allen 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 $1,079/mo · 1BR KY

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.