Metro FMR · CBSA 40420 · HUD FY2026

Rockford, IL MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Rockford, IL MSA metro area - 7% below the US average.

$895
1-bedroom FMR
$1,175
2-bedroom FMR
-0.6%
YoY change
-7%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Rockford, IL MSA area rents at $1,175 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 0% above the US average, lower than 68% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#125
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+0%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$47,000
income to afford it (30% rule)
-0.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Rockford: #125 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $66,571, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 16.1% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 338,050 residents, this is a mid-sized 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

$810/mo

14.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$895/mo

16.1% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,175/mo

21.2% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,555/mo

28.0% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,594/mo

28.7% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·40420

Rockford: $895/mo 1BR · #125 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 40420

  • CBSA 40420
  • 1BR-FMR $895
  • 2BR-FMR $1,175
  • RANK-MID #125
  • YOY-FLAT -0.6%
  • VSUS-NEAR -7%
  • IN-ST-LOW #5 IL
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MAJOR 338K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bloomington
  • VOUCH-90-110 $806–$985
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bloomington ($104 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Rockford sits among every US metro

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

$1,175 higher than 32% 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 40420

Counties inside Rockford

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 40420, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,175–$1,175, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Winnebago County 2BR $1,175 · 285K Boone County 2BR $1,175 · 53K

Rockford studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #125 most affordable

1BR $895 (-7% vs US, -0.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 40420.

Studio
$810
US avg $893
↑0.0% YoY -9% vs US
1 Bedroom
$895
US avg $959
↓0.6% YoY -7% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,175
US avg $1,175
↓0.5% YoY +0% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,555
US avg $1,525
↓0.4% YoY +2% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,594
US avg $1,756
↓0.6% YoY -9% vs US

How Rockford compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other IL metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Rockford: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside IL

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Bismarck
ND · 2 BR $1,175/mo
Battle Creek
MI · 2 BR $1,176/mo
Fond du Lac
WI · 2 BR $1,176/mo
Cheyenne
WY · 2 BR $1,174/mo

Burden % · outside IL

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

Kenosha
WI · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $1,402/mo
Oklahoma City
OK · 21.2% of income · 2 BR $1,244/mo
Monroe
MI · 21.1% of income · 2 BR $1,326/mo
Morgantown
WV · 21.1% of income · 2 BR $1,099/mo

Rockford: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Rockford, IL MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Rockford, IL MSA is $895 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,175 and a studio is $810.
How does Rockford, IL MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Rockford, IL MSA metro area is 7% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $895 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Rockford rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,175 ranks #125 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Rockford metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 40420, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,175–$1,175 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Rockford vs Bloomington →

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 $895/mo · 1BR IL

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.