State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Indiana: County Rent Burden

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

19.4%
State avg 2BR burden
0
Counties over 30% (of 92)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Indiana

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 Indiana. Across the 92 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 19.4%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Indiana sits 2.3 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Indiana, 0 of 92 counties (0%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Marion County at 27.9%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,473 eats that share of the local median income of $63,450. 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 Indiana counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Indiana and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
19.4%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
0
of 92
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 Marion County $1,267 $1,473 24% 27.9%
2 Tippecanoe County $1,032 $1,242 21.1% 25.4%
3 Vigo County $864 $1,094 19.7% 25%
4 Shelby County $1,267 $1,473 21.3% 24.8%
5 Brown County $1,267 $1,473 20.9% 24.3%
6 Benton County $1,032 $1,242 20% 24.1%
7 Blackford County $766 $956 19.3% 24.1%
8 Ohio County $1,051 $1,353 18.6% 23.9%
9 St. Joseph County $1,105 $1,292 20.4% 23.9%
10 Crawford County $852 $956 20.9% 23.4%
11 Madison County $919 $1,206 17.6% 23.1%
12 Newton County $1,082 $1,317 18.9% 23%
13 Lake County $1,082 $1,317 18.8% 22.9%
14 Monroe County $1,072 $1,210 20.3% 22.9%
15 Sullivan County $783 $1,028 17.1% 22.4%
16 Morgan County $1,267 $1,473 19.2% 22.3%
17 Scott County $769 $1,009 16.9% 22.2%
18 Vermillion County $864 $1,094 17.5% 22.1%
19 Delaware County $845 $1,043 17.8% 22%
20 Vanderburgh County $860 $1,113 16.9% 21.9%
21 Elkhart County $992 $1,183 18.1% 21.6%
22 Howard County $890 $1,123 17.1% 21.6%
23 Grant County $767 $956 17% 21.2%
24 Jay County $729 $956 16.2% 21.2%
25 Bartholomew County $1,257 $1,415 18.8% 21.1%
26 Clark County $1,047 $1,272 17.4% 21.1%
27 Harrison County $1,047 $1,272 17.3% 21.1%
28 Cass County $796 $956 16.9% 20.3%
29 Johnson County $1,267 $1,473 17.4% 20.3%
30 Fayette County $754 $956 16% 20.2%
31 Wayne County $729 $956 15.4% 20.2%
32 Dearborn County $1,051 $1,353 15.3% 19.6%
33 LaPorte County $953 $1,152 16.2% 19.6%
34 Floyd County $1,047 $1,272 16.1% 19.5%
35 Knox County $729 $956 14.9% 19.5%
36 Allen County $916 $1,113 16% 19.4%
37 Clay County $864 $1,094 15.3% 19.4%
38 Hancock County $1,267 $1,473 16.6% 19.4%
39 Jefferson County $818 $971 16.4% 19.4%
40 Owen County $798 $956 16.1% 19.3%
41 Washington County $753 $988 14.7% 19.3%
42 Greene County $729 $956 14.6% 19.2%
43 Henry County $775 $956 15.5% 19.1%
44 Pulaski County $872 $956 17.5% 19.1%
45 Clinton County $804 $1,007 15.1% 19%
46 Miami County $773 $956 15.2% 18.8%
47 Perry County $729 $956 14.3% 18.8%
48 Randolph County $841 $956 16.5% 18.8%
49 White County $785 $1,030 14.2% 18.7%
50 Kosciusko County $881 $1,142 14.3% 18.5%
51 Fulton County $733 $962 14% 18.4%
52 Porter County $1,082 $1,317 15.1% 18.4%
53 Fountain County $729 $956 14% 18.3%
54 Huntington County $731 $956 14% 18.3%
55 Adams County $872 $956 16.6% 18.2%
56 Carroll County $742 $973 13.9% 18.2%
57 Starke County $729 $956 13.9% 18.2%
58 Jackson County $807 $1,059 13.8% 18.1%
59 Marshall County $824 $1,008 14.5% 17.8%
60 Rush County $762 $956 14.2% 17.8%
61 Gibson County $771 $1,001 13.7% 17.7%
62 Hendricks County $1,267 $1,473 15.2% 17.7%
63 Jasper County $895 $1,174 13.5% 17.7%
64 Orange County $729 $956 13.5% 17.7%
65 Daviess County $764 $1,003 13.4% 17.6%
66 Martin County $729 $956 13.4% 17.6%
67 Switzerland County $729 $956 13.4% 17.6%
68 Whitley County $916 $1,113 14.5% 17.6%
69 Lawrence County $729 $956 13.3% 17.5%
70 Montgomery County $807 $966 14.5% 17.4%
71 Steuben County $790 $1,036 13.3% 17.4%
72 Decatur County $816 $1,071 13.2% 17.3%
73 Parke County $735 $964 13.2% 17.3%
74 Pike County $729 $956 13.2% 17.3%
75 Wells County $755 $991 13% 17.1%
76 Tipton County $845 $1,109 12.9% 17%
77 Boone County $1,267 $1,473 14.5% 16.9%
78 Posey County $860 $1,113 13% 16.9%
79 Franklin County $861 $1,117 13% 16.8%
80 Jennings County $732 $961 12.8% 16.8%
81 Wabash County $729 $956 12.8% 16.8%
82 Ripley County $752 $987 12.7% 16.7%
83 DeKalb County $732 $960 12.5% 16.4%
84 Noble County $737 $967 12.5% 16.4%
85 Putnam County $843 $1,030 13.3% 16.2%
86 Spencer County $729 $956 12.3% 16.2%
87 Dubois County $729 $956 12.2% 16%
88 Warren County $845 $956 13.6% 15.4%
89 Hamilton County $1,267 $1,473 12.9% 15%
90 Union County $729 $956 11% 14.4%
91 Warrick County $860 $1,113 10.9% 14.1%
92 LaGrange County $745 $977 10.7% 14%
National burden rankings → All Indiana rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Indiana? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Indiana is 19.4% of household income. 0 of 92 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Indiana are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Marion County at 27.9% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Indiana compare to the national average? ▼
Indiana's average rent burden is 19.4% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 2.3 percentage points lower 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.