State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Iowa: County Rent Burden

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

17.1%
State avg 2BR burden
0
Counties over 30% (of 99)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Iowa

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 Iowa. Across the 99 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 17.1%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Iowa sits 4.6 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Iowa, 0 of 99 counties (0%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Pottawattamie County at 23%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,368 eats that share of the local median income of $71,446. 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 Iowa counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Iowa and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
17.1%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
0
of 99
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 Pottawattamie County $1,148 $1,368 19.3% 23%
2 Jefferson County $826 $1,084 17.4% 22.9%
3 Appanoose County $700 $919 16.4% 21.6%
4 Harrison County $1,148 $1,368 17.9% 21.3%
5 Wapello County $814 $1,068 16.3% 21.3%
6 Des Moines County $810 $1,063 16% 21%
7 Audubon County $838 $919 18.6% 20.4%
8 Story County $1,026 $1,153 17.8% 20.1%
9 Guthrie County $1,109 $1,318 16.6% 19.8%
10 Woodbury County $925 $1,154 15.8% 19.7%
11 Black Hawk County $801 $1,051 14.9% 19.5%
12 Polk County $1,109 $1,318 16.3% 19.4%
13 Union County $700 $919 14.8% 19.4%
14 Decatur County $700 $919 14.7% 19.3%
15 Lee County $733 $962 14.7% 19.3%
16 Page County $700 $919 14.5% 19.1%
17 Fayette County $723 $919 14.8% 18.8%
18 Mills County $1,148 $1,368 15.7% 18.7%
19 Wayne County $734 $919 14.9% 18.7%
20 Greene County $700 $919 14.2% 18.6%
21 Muscatine County $858 $1,071 14.8% 18.5%
22 Johnson County $961 $1,141 15.4% 18.3%
23 Poweshiek County $853 $988 15.8% 18.3%
24 Van Buren County $713 $919 14.2% 18.3%
25 Buena Vista County $770 $1,010 13.9% 18.2%
26 Keokuk County $764 $919 15.1% 18.1%
27 Scott County $928 $1,143 14.6% 18%
28 Cass County $710 $919 13.8% 17.9%
29 Clayton County $700 $919 13.5% 17.7%
30 Madison County $1,109 $1,318 14.9% 17.7%
31 Clinton County $729 $956 13.4% 17.6%
32 Dickinson County $831 $1,091 13.4% 17.6%
33 Ida County $764 $919 14.6% 17.5%
34 Monona County $700 $919 13.3% 17.5%
35 Montgomery County $838 $919 15.9% 17.5%
36 Cerro Gordo County $750 $949 13.7% 17.4%
37 Henry County $716 $939 13.3% 17.4%
38 Pocahontas County $700 $919 13.2% 17.4%
39 Franklin County $700 $919 13.2% 17.3%
40 Winnebago County $731 $919 13.8% 17.3%
41 Clay County $700 $919 13.1% 17.2%
42 Jasper County $789 $1,008 13.5% 17.2%
43 Lucas County $743 $975 13.1% 17.2%
44 Wright County $700 $919 13.1% 17.2%
45 Cherokee County $811 $919 15.1% 17.1%
46 Floyd County $700 $919 13% 17.1%
47 Crawford County $788 $919 14.5% 17%
48 Dubuque County $841 $1,077 13.3% 17%
49 Hardin County $700 $919 12.9% 17%
50 Warren County $1,109 $1,318 14.3% 17%
51 Emmet County $771 $919 14.2% 16.9%
52 Adair County $706 $926 12.8% 16.8%
53 Kossuth County $700 $919 12.8% 16.8%
54 Linn County $816 $1,071 12.8% 16.8%
55 Allamakee County $754 $919 13.7% 16.7%
56 Hamilton County $791 $994 13.2% 16.6%
57 Tama County $717 $941 12.7% 16.6%
58 Calhoun County $736 $919 13.2% 16.5%
59 Clarke County $803 $919 14.4% 16.5%
60 Humboldt County $798 $919 14.3% 16.5%
61 Mahaska County $722 $947 12.6% 16.5%
62 Howard County $838 $919 14.9% 16.4%
63 Taylor County $700 $919 12.5% 16.4%
64 Adams County $711 $933 12.4% 16.3%
65 Shelby County $838 $919 14.9% 16.3%
66 O'Brien County $700 $919 12.3% 16.2%
67 Washington County $733 $962 12.3% 16.2%
68 Webster County $700 $919 12.3% 16.2%
69 Carroll County $788 $919 13.8% 16.1%
70 Mitchell County $774 $919 13.5% 16.1%
71 Osceola County $700 $919 12.1% 16%
72 Palo Alto County $700 $919 12.2% 16%
73 Butler County $700 $919 12.1% 15.8%
74 Marshall County $731 $959 12.1% 15.8%
75 Ringgold County $748 $919 12.9% 15.8%
76 Davis County $795 $1,043 12% 15.7%
77 Hancock County $745 $919 12.7% 15.7%
78 Marion County $808 $1,016 12.4% 15.6%
79 Dallas County $1,109 $1,318 13% 15.5%
80 Sac County $791 $919 13.4% 15.5%
81 Boone County $788 $1,026 11.9% 15.4%
82 Jackson County $700 $919 11.7% 15.4%
83 Iowa County $709 $919 11.8% 15.3%
84 Monroe County $700 $919 11.6% 15.2%
85 Grundy County $801 $1,051 11.5% 15.1%
86 Jones County $711 $919 11.7% 15.1%
87 Lyon County $700 $919 11.5% 15.1%
88 Chickasaw County $778 $919 12.7% 15%
89 Fremont County $708 $919 11.5% 15%
90 Cedar County $736 $966 11.2% 14.7%
91 Winneshiek County $700 $919 11.1% 14.6%
92 Delaware County $838 $919 13.2% 14.5%
93 Buchanan County $718 $942 11% 14.4%
94 Plymouth County $772 $980 11.4% 14.4%
95 Worth County $700 $919 10.9% 14.3%
96 Bremer County $745 $978 10.7% 14.1%
97 Sioux County $740 $971 10.5% 13.8%
98 Louisa County $700 $919 10.5% 13.7%
99 Benton County $729 $956 10.3% 13.5%
National burden rankings → All Iowa rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Iowa? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Iowa is 17.1% of household income. 0 of 99 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Iowa are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Pottawattamie County at 23% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Iowa compare to the national average? ▼
Iowa's average rent burden is 17.1% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 4.6 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.