Metro FMR · CBSA 31140 · HUD FY2026

Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 9% above the US average.

$1,047
1-bedroom FMR
$1,272
2-bedroom FMR
-4.3%
YoY change
+9%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area 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)
-4.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Louisville: #179 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $71,737, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 17.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 1,359,331 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 6.0% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents.

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 6.7%, 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 $1,064/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,272 runs 19.5% 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: 42.1% of the 172,754 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

$966/mo

16.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,047/mo

17.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,272/mo

21.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,625/mo

27.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,891/mo

31.6% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·31140

Louisville: $1,047/mo 1BR · #179 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 31140

  • CBSA 31140
  • 1BR-FMR $1,047
  • 2BR-FMR $1,272
  • RANK-MID #179
  • YOY-DOWN -4.3%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +9%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #4 KY
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MEGA 1.4M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Allen County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $942–$1,152
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Allen County ($288 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Louisville 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.

What this shows #179 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 8% 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 31140

Counties inside Louisville

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 31140, but county-level schedules inside Louisville still diverge: 12 counties range from $988 (2BR in Washington) to $1,272 (Jefferson), a 29% spread. Jefferson is the largest county by population.

Jefferson County 2BR $1,272 · 779K Clark County 2BR $1,272 · 121K Bullitt County 2BR $1,272 · 82K Floyd County 2BR $1,272 · 80K Oldham County 2BR $1,272 · 68K Shelby County 2BR $1,143 · 48K

Showing the 6 largest of 12 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Louisville studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #179 most affordable

1BR $1,047 (+9% vs US, -4.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 31140.

Studio
$966
US avg $893
↓3.7% YoY +8% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,047
US avg $959
↓4.3% YoY +9% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,272
US avg $1,175
↓4.4% YoY +8% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,625
US avg $1,525
↓5.2% YoY +7% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,891
US avg $1,756
↓4.9% YoY +8% vs US

How Louisville compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other KY metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Louisville highlighted among 4 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Louisville: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Louisville 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).

Hattiesburg
MS · 21.3% of income · 2 BR $1,047/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
Kenosha
WI · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $1,402/mo

Louisville: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,047 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,272 and a studio is $966.
How does Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 9% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,047 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Louisville 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 Louisville metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 31140, but 12 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $988–$1,272 for a 2-bedroom (29% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Louisville's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 6.0% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 6.7%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Louisville vs Allen County →

What this means for renters

Treat Louisville'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 $1,047 implies about $41,880/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Louisville stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Allen County
  • See where Louisville 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 12 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 $1,047/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.