Most of Kearney is in Buffalo County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $25.94 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 4 ZIP codes in Kearney with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $870 to $970 a month. At the middle rent, $885, a full-time job would need to pay $27.09 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68845 | Buffalo County | $870/mo | $26.60/hr |
| 68847 | Buffalo County | $970/mo | $29.89/hr |
| 68848 | Buffalo County | $900/mo | $27.58/hr |
| 68849 | Buffalo County | $870/mo | $26.60/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Kearney needs to pay at least $25.94 an hour before taxes, about $53,947 a year. That is the figure for Buffalo County, where the typical studio rent is $850 a month.
Yes. Across the 4 ZIP codes in Kearney with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $870 to $970 a month. At the middle rent of $885, the pay needed would be $27.09 an hour.
The minimum wage in Buffalo County is $15.00 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 1.7 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