Pine Bluff, AR MSA Fair Market Rent

What these rents mean for the Pine Bluff, AR MSA metro

HUD's FY 2025 Fair Market Rent schedule sets the Pine Bluff, AR MSA Metro Area (CBSA 38220) 1-bedroom at $684, with a studio at $633, 2-bedroom at $878, 3-bedroom at $1,141, and 4-bedroom at $1,164. These are the 40th percentile of gross rents, utilities included, excluding telephone, meaning roughly 60% of standard-quality rentals in the metro cost more. Because HUD treats a metropolitan statistical area as a single rent market, every county inside the Pine Bluff, AR MSA CBSA shares these FMR figures, and local housing authorities use them to set Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment standards (typically between 90% and 110% of FMR).

Against the national benchmark, a 1-bedroom in Pine Bluff, AR MSA is 29% below the US 1-bedroom FMR of $959. Year-over-year the 1-bedroom FMR shifted from $684 in FY 2024 to $684 in FY 2025 - a change of +0.0%, which tracks roughly with broader price growth. Metro-level FMRs often diverge from the rents listed for any single suburb, so renters should view this as the HUD ceiling, not a street-level market rate.

For affordability, the 30% rule says rent should not exceed 30% of gross household income. At the FY 2025 1-bedroom FMR of $684, that implies a household income of $27,360 per year (about $2,280/month) - a 2-bedroom at $878 raises that income floor further. The gap between FMR and local wages determines how many households qualify as rent-burdened (paying more than 30% of income) or severely burdened (above 50%). Metro FMR also anchors the Small Area FMR program, which sets ZIP-level payment standards in designated metros to expand voucher choice into higher-opportunity neighborhoods.