Most of Fort Collins is in Larimer County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $51.17 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 8 ZIP codes in Fort Collins with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,450 to $1,750 a month. At the middle rent, $1,550, a full-time job would need to pay $51.55 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80521 | Larimer County | $1,450/mo | $47.73/hr |
| 80522 | Larimer County | $1,550/mo | $51.55/hr |
| 80523 | Larimer County | $1,550/mo | $51.55/hr |
| 80524 | Larimer County | $1,480/mo | $48.88/hr |
| 80525 | Larimer County | $1,710/mo | $57.65/hr |
| 80526 | Larimer County | $1,500/mo | $49.64/hr |
| 80527 | Larimer County | $1,550/mo | $51.55/hr |
| 80528 | Larimer County | $1,750/mo | $59.18/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Fort Collins needs to pay at least $51.17 an hour before taxes, about $106,426 a year. That is the figure for Larimer County, where the typical studio rent is $1,540 a month.
Yes. Across the 8 ZIP codes in Fort Collins with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,450 to $1,750 a month. At the middle rent of $1,550, the pay needed would be $51.55 an hour.
The minimum wage in Larimer County is $15.16 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 3.4 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads