Average Rent in Polk, Iowa

By the AverageRentCost Editorial Team · Last updated: October 2026

The FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom home in Polk is $1,360 a month, on HUD's gross-rent scale that includes utilities. Polk sits in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, and its figures place it #4 among the 99 county rent listings published for Iowa — $433 (47%) above the Iowa county median. With a 2024 population of about 503,175, it is one of the rental markets we track in depth: below is the full bedroom-by-bedroom table, the income each size implies under the 30% rule, and how the county compares with its state and the country.

$1,3602-bedroom FMR, FY2027 (benchmark size)

$1,102Efficiency FMR, FY2027

$1,9014-bedroom FMR, FY2027

$54,400Annual income for the 2-bedroom at the 30% rule

FY2027 Fair Market Rents in Polk

Unit size	Monthly FMR	Rent over a year	Income needed (30% rule)
Efficiency (0 BR)	$1,102	$13,224	$44,080
1 bedroom	$1,145	$13,740	$45,800
2 bedrooms	$1,360	$16,320	$54,400
3 bedrooms	$1,856	$22,272	$74,240
4 bedrooms	$1,901	$22,812	$76,040

The gaps between sizes tell you how this market prices space. In Polk, stepping up from an efficiency to a one-bedroom adds $43 a month; stepping up from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom adds $215 a month; and stepping up from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom adds $496 a month. Families feel those steps directly, because voucher size standards and the 30% math both key off the bedroom count: a household approved for a 2-bedroom voucher that rents a 3-bedroom pays the difference itself unless the unit still passes the agency's rent-reasonableness test.

The 30% rule in Polk

Housing is considered affordable when gross rent takes no more than 30% of gross household income. At the FY2027 2-bedroom FMR of $1,360, that means an income of about $54,400 a year — $16,320 of rent spread over twelve months. A 1-bedroom at $1,145 fits an income of $45,800, while a family-sized 4-bedroom at $1,901 needs $76,040. Remember that FMRs are gross rents: if a lease leaves utilities in the tenant's name, the housing agency applies a utility allowance so the combined cost is what gets compared with the payment standard. For workers, the 2-bedroom figure works out to about $26 an hour at full-time hours — a useful yardstick when weighing a job offer against local rent.

How Polk, Iowa compares

Against its own state, Polk's 2-bedroom FMR sits above the statewide ACS median gross rent of $981, and $433 (47%) above the Iowa county median. Against the country as a whole it is $342 above the national median area figure of $1,018. The state's priciest county listing is Harrison at $1,450 and its least expensive is Allamakee at $927, so Polk sits within the Iowa range. The full county-by-county table is on the Iowa average rent page.

Vouchers and Fair Market Rents in Polk

This is a metropolitan rent area. In a small number of the largest metro areas HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code, which housing agencies in those areas must or may use for vouchers; the figures here are the standard area-wide schedule. For Housing Choice Voucher holders, the number that matters day to day is the payment standard: the local housing agency sets it between 90% and 110% of the FMR for each unit size, and the subsidy is calculated from the lower of that standard or the actual gross rent. An FMR is not a rent control and not a quote — homes in Polk lease both above and below these figures — but it is the benchmark every voucher lease is tested against, and a good neutral summary of where the modest end of this market sits. The same figures apply in Dallas, Guthrie, Madison, Warren, which share this rent area.

How to read these figures: Fair Market Rents (FMRs) are gross-rent benchmarks published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Housing Choice Voucher program. They include utilities and are set near the 40th percentile of rents paid by recent movers — they are not advertised asking rents, and the rent on a specific home can be higher or lower. Census ACS medians describe what surveyed renter households reported paying. See our disclaimer for details.

Polk rent questions

What is the Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Polk, IA?

HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom home in Polk (Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area) is $1,360 a month, gross rent including utilities. The efficiency figure is $1,102 and a 4-bedroom is $1,901.

What income do you need for a 2-bedroom in Polk?

At the 30% rule, a 2-bedroom at the FY2027 FMR of $1,360 a month takes an annual income of about $54,400 — roughly $26 an hour full-time. Housing agencies may set voucher payment standards between 90% and 110% of the FMR.

How does Polk compare with the rest of Iowa?

Its 2-bedroom FMR of $1,360 ranks #4 among 99 county listings in Iowa, $433 (47%) above the Iowa county median, and sits above the statewide ACS median gross rent of $981.

Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents FY2027 (county-level data file, effective October 1, 2026), huduser.gov; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table B25031 (median gross rent), census.gov. Last verified: October 2026.