Metro FMR · CBSA 36980 · HUD FY2026

Owensboro, KY MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Owensboro, KY MSA metro area - 12% below the US average.

$846
1-bedroom FMR
$1,110
2-bedroom FMR
-1.6%
YoY change
-12%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Owensboro, KY MSA area rents at $1,110 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 6% below the US average, lower than 79% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#82
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-6%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$44,400
income to afford it (30% rule)
-1.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Owensboro: #82 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $65,656, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 112,089 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

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.

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

$840/mo

15.4% of median income

1 Bedroom

$846/mo

15.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,110/mo

20.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,466/mo

26.8% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,470/mo

26.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·36980

Owensboro: $846/mo 1BR · #82 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 36980

  • CBSA 36980
  • 1BR-FMR $846
  • 2BR-FMR $1,110
  • RANK-MID #82
  • YOY-FLAT -1.6%
  • VSUS-BELOW -12%
  • IN-ST-LOW #3 KY
  • INC-ROOM 15%
  • POP-MID 112K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Allen County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $761–$931
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Allen County ($87 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Owensboro sits among every US metro

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

$1,110 higher than 21% 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.

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

CBSA 36980

Counties inside Owensboro

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 36980, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,110–$1,110, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Daviess County 2BR $1,110 · 103K McLean County 2BR $1,110 · 9K

Owensboro studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #82 most affordable

1BR $846 (-12% vs US, -1.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 36980.

Studio
$840
US avg $893
↓1.6% YoY -6% vs US
1 Bedroom
$846
US avg $959
↓1.6% YoY -12% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,110
US avg $1,175
↓1.6% YoY -6% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,466
US avg $1,525
↓1.9% YoY -4% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,470
US avg $1,756
↓1.7% YoY -16% vs US

How Owensboro compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other KY metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Owensboro: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Owensboro 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).

Shreveport-Bossier City
LA · 2 BR $1,111/mo
Fargo
ND · 2 BR $1,112/mo
Lima
OH · 2 BR $1,108/mo
Fort Wayne
IN · 2 BR $1,113/mo

Burden % · outside KY

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

Beaumont-Port Arthur
TX · 20.3% of income · 2 BR $1,103/mo
Floyd County
VA · 20.3% of income · 2 BR $1,094/mo
Idaho Falls
ID · 20.3% of income · 2 BR $1,305/mo
Wheeling
WV · 20.3% of income · 2 BR $991/mo

Owensboro: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Owensboro, KY MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Owensboro, KY MSA is $846 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,110 and a studio is $840.
How does Owensboro, KY MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Owensboro, KY MSA metro area is 12% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $846 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Owensboro rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,110 ranks #82 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Owensboro metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 36980, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,110–$1,110 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Owensboro 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 $846/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.