State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Arkansas: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each Arkansas county, FY 2026.

22.5%
State avg 2BR burden
0
Counties over 30% (of 75)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Arkansas

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, by Census-reported median household income for each county in Arkansas. Across the 75 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 22.5%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Arkansas sits 0.8 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Arkansas, 0 of 75 counties (0%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Madison County at 30%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,347 eats that share of the local median income of $53,888. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability, eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which Arkansas counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Arkansas and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
22.5%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
0
of 75
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Madison County $1,115 $1,347 24.8% 30%
2 Desha County $671 $880 22.3% 29.3%
3 Lee County $671 $880 21.8% 28.6%
4 Lafayette County $671 $880 21.6% 28.4%
5 Stone County $693 $909 21.6% 28.3%
6 Crittenden County $1,154 $1,274 25.5% 28.2%
7 Phillips County $671 $880 20.7% 27.2%
8 Drew County $706 $927 20.6% 27.1%
9 Fulton County $746 $880 23% 27.1%
10 Bradley County $710 $880 21.5% 26.7%
11 Chicot County $671 $880 20.3% 26.6%
12 St. Francis County $703 $923 20.2% 26.5%
13 Miller County $868 $1,101 20.8% 26.4%
14 Nevada County $694 $911 19.9% 26.2%
15 Jackson County $671 $880 19.5% 25.6%
16 Searcy County $671 $880 19.2% 25.2%
17 Sharp County $671 $880 18.7% 24.6%
18 Washington County $1,115 $1,347 20.1% 24.3%
19 Monroe County $671 $880 18.3% 24%
20 Baxter County $735 $964 18.2% 23.9%
21 Lawrence County $671 $880 18.2% 23.9%
22 Howard County $673 $883 18.2% 23.8%
23 Ashley County $671 $880 18.1% 23.7%
24 Johnson County $674 $884 18.1% 23.7%
25 Dallas County $671 $880 18% 23.6%
26 Garland County $834 $1,090 18.1% 23.6%
27 Jefferson County $728 $937 18% 23.2%
28 Marion County $692 $908 17.7% 23.2%
29 Scott County $671 $880 17.5% 23%
30 Columbia County $688 $903 17.4% 22.9%
31 Hempstead County $692 $908 17.4% 22.9%
32 Perry County $989 $1,147 19.8% 22.9%
33 Pulaski County $989 $1,147 19.7% 22.8%
34 Cross County $671 $880 17.1% 22.5%
35 Poinsett County $685 $880 17.4% 22.4%
36 Newton County $803 $880 20.3% 22.3%
37 Van Buren County $671 $880 17% 22.3%
38 Izard County $715 $880 18% 22.1%
39 Union County $718 $923 17.2% 22.1%
40 Polk County $703 $897 17.1% 21.9%
41 Clay County $671 $880 16.6% 21.8%
42 Craighead County $870 $1,040 18.1% 21.7%
43 Montgomery County $803 $880 19.7% 21.5%
44 Faulkner County $989 $1,147 18.2% 21.2%
45 Ouachita County $694 $880 16.7% 21.2%
46 Woodruff County $803 $880 19.3% 21.1%
47 Cleveland County $671 $880 15.9% 20.9%
48 Carroll County $742 $954 16.1% 20.7%
49 Clark County $731 $880 17.2% 20.7%
50 Pike County $803 $880 18.9% 20.7%
51 Prairie County $671 $880 15.8% 20.7%
52 Conway County $671 $880 15.7% 20.6%
53 Pope County $715 $938 15.7% 20.6%
54 Cleburne County $735 $955 15.8% 20.5%
55 Lincoln County $671 $880 15.6% 20.4%
56 Sevier County $671 $880 15.6% 20.4%
57 Franklin County $671 $880 15.5% 20.3%
58 Little River County $671 $880 15.4% 20.2%
59 Hot Spring County $671 $880 15.3% 20.1%
60 Randolph County $681 $880 15.5% 20%
61 Sebastian County $714 $937 15.2% 19.9%
62 Mississippi County $671 $880 15.1% 19.8%
63 White County $734 $880 16.5% 19.8%
64 Boone County $671 $880 14.9% 19.5%
65 Logan County $803 $880 17.8% 19.5%
66 Lonoke County $989 $1,147 16.6% 19.3%
67 Calhoun County $771 $1,011 14.5% 19.1%
68 Greene County $772 $905 16.3% 19.1%
69 Independence County $688 $891 14.7% 19.1%
70 Crawford County $714 $937 14.2% 18.6%
71 Arkansas County $703 $922 13.9% 18.2%
72 Benton County $1,115 $1,347 14.9% 18%
73 Saline County $989 $1,147 15.5% 18%
74 Yell County $692 $880 14.1% 17.9%
75 Grant County $800 $968 13.2% 16%
National burden rankings → All Arkansas rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Arkansas? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Arkansas is 22.5% of household income. 0 of 75 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Arkansas are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Madison County at 30% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Arkansas compare to the national average? ▼
Arkansas's average rent burden is 22.5% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 0.8 percentage points higher than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.