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Renting

Data from November 2026

Renting in Mississippi

The typical rent in Mississippi is $954 a month (Average 2020–2024). HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms is about $1,087 (Fiscal year 2027, population-weighted average): paying it without spending more than 30% of income takes $20.90 an hour full time. Here are the figures by size and by county, how many households spend too much, and where to ask for help.

How much rent can I afford? Where to get help
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Typical rent
$954
per month, Average 2020–2024
32% less than the U.S.
Fair market rent, 2 BR
$1,087
HUD, Fiscal year 2027, weighted average
From $905 to $1,316 depending on the county.
Wage needed
$20.90
per hour, 2 bedrooms
About $43,480 a year to stay under 30% of income.
Burdened households
51%
spend 30% or more on rent
Nationwide, 51%.

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates Average 2020–2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates Source: Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents (HUD)

Fair market rent

What HUD sets by size

HUD publishes a fair market rent every year by area and home size; Section 8 and other programs use it to set what they cover. Here it runs from the cheapest to the most expensive area of Mississippi, with the hourly wage it takes to pay it without going past 30% of income (40 hours a week).

Includes basic utilities. It is neither the lowest nor the highest rent on the market: it is a reference point.

Fair market rent by size in Mississippi, Fiscal year 2027: lowest and highest value among its counties

  • Studio

    Wage: $12.12–$21.13 an hour

    $630 $1,099

  • 1 bedroom

    Wage: $13.31–$22.90 an hour

    $692 $1,191

  • 2 bedrooms

    Wage: $17.40–$25.31 an hour

    $905 $1,316

  • 3 bedrooms

    Wage: $20.73–$33.02 an hour

    $1,078 $1,717

  • 4 bedrooms

    Wage: $22.87–$38.10 an hour

    $1,189 $1,981

Each bar runs from the cheapest area to the most expensive; all share one scale that starts at zero. Source: Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents (HUD)

Rent burden

How many households spend too much

HUD counts rent as a burden when it reaches 30% of income or more. In Mississippi, 51% of renter households are in that position; nationwide, 51% (Average 2020–2024, Census).

Paying too much rent leaves little for food, transportation and savings. If that is you, the agencies below can guide you for free.

51%

of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.

343,643 renter households in Mississippi

  • Spend half or more of their income 26%
  • Spend 30% or more, but less than half 25%
  • Spend less than 30% 49%

By place

Every county, with its figure

The 2-bedroom fair market rent, the typical rent, the hourly wage it takes and the share of burdened households, in every county in Mississippi. Highest fair market rent first.

Source: Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates Average 2020–2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates

Your rights as a tenant in Mississippi

What Mississippi law says about deposits, notices and eviction, with the citation for each rule.

See your rights, rule by rule

A summary of state law, not legal advice. Cities may have additional rules.

When must they return my deposit?
45 days
Miss. Code Ann. §89-8-21(3)
If I fall behind on rent, what notice must I get?
3 days
Miss. Code Ann. §89-8-13(5)(a)
How much notice ends a month-to-month rental?
30 days
Miss. Code Ann. §89-8-19(3)
  • Repair and deduct from the rentMiss. Code Ann. §89-8-15(1)

Help

Where to ask for help with rent in Mississippi

Free or official help. Demand usually exceeds funding, so waiting lists are common: ask at the agency for your county.

A Hispanic family shares a meal at the dinner table.

Tool

How much rent can you afford?

Enter your income and compare with the fair market rent in your county.

How much rent can I afford?

Frequently asked questions

Which county in Mississippi is the most expensive to rent in?

By 2-bedroom fair market rent (Fiscal year 2027), the most expensive is Lamar County ($1,316, about $25.31 an hour) and the cheapest Union County ($905, about $17.40 an hour).

How many households in Mississippi spend too much on rent?

51% of renter households in Mississippi spend 30% or more of their income on rent, and 26% spend half or more (Average 2020–2024, Census). Nationwide, 51%.

What is fair market rent?

A figure HUD publishes every year by area and home size; Section 8 and other programs use it to set what they pay. It is not a market price or a cap on landlords. In Mississippi, for 2 bedrooms in Fiscal year 2027, it runs from $905 to $1,316 depending on the county.

Where do I ask for help paying rent in Mississippi?

52 public housing agencies run Section 8 vouchers and public housing in Mississippi; demand usually exceeds funding and waiting lists are common. HUD-approved counseling agencies counsel for free. Your county page shows the nearest ones.