HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Benton County, Iowa (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Benton County is $956 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$956
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$860 to $1,052
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$38,240
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Iowa
37th of 99
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Benton moves to $982. That's up 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Benton actually rent for?
Search any address in Benton for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $659 | $593 to $725 | $26,360 | $12.67/hr | +9.7% |
| 1 bedroom | $729 | $656 to $802 | $29,160 | $14.02/hr | +9.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $956 | $860 to $1,052 | $38,240 | $18.38/hr | +9.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,209 | $1,088 to $1,330 | $48,360 | $23.25/hr | +6.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,348 | $1,213 to $1,483 | $53,920 | $25.92/hr | +5.0% |
5 to 8 bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $1,550 | $1,395 to $1,705 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,752 | $1,577 to $1,927 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,955 | $1,760 to $2,151 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,157 | $1,941 to $2,373 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Benton, that runs from $659 for a studio up to $1,348 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Benton is its own HUD metro area (Benton County, IA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Benton ranks 37th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 4% above the state median of $919 and about 6% below the national median county at $1,018. About 25,652 people live here, 24th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $920 in 52206 (Atkins) and $1,420 in 52351 (Walford), with the 15 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52206 | Atkins | $920 | -3.8% |
| 52208 | Belle Plaine | $920 | -3.8% |
| 52209 | Blairstown | $1,000 | +4.6% |
| 52229 | Garrison | $1,070 | +11.9% |
| 52249 | Keystone | $1,190 | +24.5% |
| 52257 | Luzerne | $1,020 | +6.7% |
| 52313 | Mount Auburn | $1,140 | +19.2% |
| 52315 | Newhall | $920 | -3.8% |
| 52318 | Norway | $1,280 | +33.9% |
| 52332 | Shellsburg | $1,120 | +17.2% |
| 52345 | Urbana | $940 | -1.7% |
| 52346 | Van Horne | $1,200 | +25.5% |
| 52349 | Vinton | $920 | -3.8% |
| 52351 | Walford | $1,420 | +48.5% |
| 52354 | Watkins | $1,040 | +8.8% |
What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Benton somewhere between $860 and $1,052. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$956 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $38,240 a year. Put another way, $18 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom, assuming the rent equals the payment standard. Tenant pays 30% of monthly income, HUD's housing assistance payment covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | HAP at 90% ($860) | HAP at 100% ($956) | HAP at 110% ($1,052) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $110 | $206 | $302 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 9% from FY 2025 ($877) to FY 2026 ($956). Since FY 2020 it's up 39% in total, about 5.7% a year. The Iowa median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $470 | $535 | $687 | $882 | $1,018 | — |
| FY 2021 | $472 | $545 | $715 | $935 | $1,072 | +4.1% |
| FY 2022 | $558 | $562 | $739 | $1,001 | $1,099 | +3.4% |
| FY 2023 | $600 | $604 | $795 | $1,073 | $1,128 | +7.6% |
| FY 2024 | $584 | $656 | $862 | $1,140 | $1,257 | +8.4% |
| FY 2025 | $601 | $668 | $877 | $1,140 | $1,284 | +1.7% |
| FY 2026 | $659 | $729 | $956 | $1,209 | $1,348 | +9.0% |
| FY 2027 | $684 | $751 | $982 | $1,267 | $1,291 | +2.7% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$956 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $659 for a studio, $729 for one bedroom, $1,209 for three and $1,348 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Look up any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count.
Section 8 rent calculator
Work out the payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent.
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords.
Rent affordability calculator
See what income a household needs for a given rent.
What does a rental in Benton actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Benton for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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