HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Pottawattamie County, Iowa (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Pottawattamie County is $1,368 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,368
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,231 to $1,505
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$54,720
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Iowa
3rd of 99
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Pottawattamie moves to $1,450. That's up 6%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Pottawattamie actually rent for?
Search any address in Pottawattamie 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 | $1,090 | $981 to $1,199 | $43,600 | $20.96/hr | +10.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,148 | $1,033 to $1,263 | $45,920 | $22.08/hr | +9.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,368 | $1,231 to $1,505 | $54,720 | $26.31/hr | +8.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,813 | $1,632 to $1,994 | $72,520 | $34.87/hr | +8.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,046 | $1,841 to $2,251 | $81,840 | $39.35/hr | +9.8% |
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 | $2,353 | $2,118 to $2,588 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,660 | $2,394 to $2,926 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,967 | $2,670 to $3,264 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,274 | $2,947 to $3,601 |
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 Pottawattamie, that runs from $1,090 for a studio up to $2,046 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Pottawattamie in with 6 other counties in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro, Douglas County, Sarpy County, Cass County among them, and every one of them gets $1,368 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Pottawattamie ranks 3rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 49% above the state median of $919 and about 34% above the national median county at $1,018. About 93,543 people live here, 10th in the state.
Counties sharing the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $960 in 51525 (Carson) and $1,340 in 51510 (Carter Lake), with the 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51501 | Council Bluffs | $1,210 | -11.5% |
| 51502 | Council Bluffs | $1,368County rate | — |
| 51503 | Council Bluffs | $1,160 | -15.2% |
| 51510 | Carter Lake | $1,340 | -2.0% |
| 51521 | Avoca | $1,010 | -26.2% |
| 51525 | Carson | $960 | -29.8% |
| 51526 | Crescent | $1,170 | -14.5% |
| 51536 | Hancock | $1,020 | -25.4% |
| 51542 | Honey Creek | $1,070 | -21.8% |
| 51548 | Mc Clelland | $1,110 | -18.9% |
| 51549 | Macedonia | $960 | -29.8% |
| 51553 | Minden | $960 | -29.8% |
| 51559 | Neola | $1,150 | -15.9% |
| 51560 | Oakland | $1,060 | -22.5% |
| 51570 | Shelby | $960 | -29.8% |
| 51575 | Treynor | $1,220 | -10.8% |
| 51576 | Underwood | $1,040 | -24.0% |
| 51577 | Walnut | $970 | -29.1% |
| 51593 | Harlan | $1,368County rate | — |
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 Pottawattamie somewhere between $1,231 and $1,505. 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.
$1,368 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $54,720 a year. Put another way, $26 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% ($1,231) | HAP at 100% ($1,368) | HAP at 110% ($1,505) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $481 | $618 | $755 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $31 | $168 | $305 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 8% from FY 2025 ($1,261) to FY 2026 ($1,368). Since FY 2020 it's up 45% in total, about 6.3% 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 | $650 | $762 | $946 | $1,272 | $1,419 | — |
| FY 2021 | $695 | $798 | $987 | $1,325 | $1,478 | +4.3% |
| FY 2022 | $698 | $794 | $974 | $1,305 | $1,457 | -1.3% |
| FY 2023 | $801 | $888 | $1,083 | $1,449 | $1,611 | +11.2% |
| FY 2024 | $895 | $971 | $1,170 | $1,562 | $1,733 | +8.0% |
| FY 2025 | $990 | $1,052 | $1,261 | $1,675 | $1,864 | +7.8% |
| FY 2026 | $1,090 | $1,148 | $1,368 | $1,813 | $2,046 | +8.5% |
| FY 2027 | $1,167 | $1,219 | $1,450 | $1,924 | $2,179 | +6.0% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,368 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,090 for a studio, $1,148 for one bedroom, $1,813 for three and $2,046 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 Pottawattamie actually go for?
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