Average Rent in Hendry County, FL: The Number and the Context

What is the average rent in Hendry County, FL? Zillow’s Observed Rent Index puts the typical Hendry County rent at about $2,108 a month. Below: the trend, how renting compares with owning here right now, and what the ratio between prices and rents says about this market.

Hendry County rent at a glance

Renting versus owning in Hendry County right now

Unusually, the modeled all-in monthly cost of OWNING the typical Hendry County home (about $1,724) currently sits at or below typical rent — a configuration that historically favors buying for anyone planning to stay several years. Check the break-even with the rent vs buy calculator.

What the price-to-rent ratio says

Hendry County’s typical home value ($275,334) divided by a year of typical rent works out to a price-to-rent ratio of about 10.9. As a rule of thumb, ratios under ~15 favor buying, 15–20 is a judgment call, and above ~20 favors renting on pure monthly math — before Florida specifics like the homestead exemption, the Save Our Homes cap, and insurance costs move the answer for any specific household. Investors read the same ratio in reverse: our county model puts the gross cap rate near 9.2%.

For renters weighing a first purchase

Renting is not “throwing money away” — it buys flexibility and shields you from maintenance, insurance and rate risk. Buying wins when you stay long enough for equity and fixed costs to overtake that flexibility premium. Three Florida-specific facts tilt the math: your property tax is set by YOUR purchase price (not the seller’s bill — model it with the property tax calculator), homestead then caps assessment growth at 3%% a year while rents float with the market, and insurance varies enough by home that a quote belongs in your budget before you shop. The buyer closing costs calculator shows the real cash needed to make the switch.

Demand and supply in Hendry County right now

In the most recent IRS migration data (2022-2023), Hendry County gained a net 773 people to relocation. Households moving IN reported average incomes of $49,897 versus $47,370 for those leaving — the income mix of demand, straight from tax filings. Population is up about 1.7% over the recent multi-year window. On the supply side, builders pulled 470 residential permits in Hendry County in 2025 (464 single-family), down 15.6% year over year — against 704 at the 2022 peak. Permits are tomorrow’s inventory: a shrinking pipeline supports prices, a swelling one hands buyers leverage. Our valuation model reads the county as overvalued by about 5.5% versus its income-and-rent fundamentals.

The Hendry County market, in context

Hendry County is LaBelle and Clewiston — 'America's Sweetest Town' — the heart of Florida's sugar country on the southwest shore of Lake Okeechobee, a rural agricultural county of cane fields, cattle, and citrus far from the coastal crowds.

The economy behind the market: {'drivers': 'agriculture (sugar cane, cattle, citrus), food processing, and government', 'summary': "Hendry's economy is agriculture on a grand scale: U.S. Sugar Corporation is headquartered in Clewiston and dominates the local economy alongside vast cane fields, cattle ranches, and citrus groves. Food processing, the county-and-school-district government, and a small healthcare sector round out a deeply rural base.", 'employers': ['U.S. Sugar Corporation (Clewiston HQ)', 'Hendry County School District', 'Hendry County government', 'agriculture (sugar cane, cattle, citrus)', 'Hendry Regional Medical Center', 'food processing'], 'jobNote': "U.S. Sugar Corporation is headquartered in Clewiston — 'America's Sweetest Town' — and dominates the agricultural economy."}

What could change it: Hendry's risks are rural and agricultural: an economy heavily concentrated in sugar and farming, lake-and-canal flooding around Okeechobee, modest incomes, and inland hurricane exposure (the lake region took heavy rain in Irma and Ian). Insurance is moderate inland, and the market is thin.

Near-term outlook: Expect Hendry to stay a very affordable, agriculture-anchored market over the next 12 months, with steady local demand, abundant land, and slow price movement.

Run the numbers in Hendry County

• Find the best agent in Hendry County
• Get a cash offer in Hendry County
• Hendry County housing scorecard
• What would selling net you
• Buyer closing costs calculator

Common questions

Rent figures: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), a smoothed measure of typical asking rents; ownership costs are Momentum model estimates. As of 2026-06-16; figures change monthly and are deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Not financial advice. Equal Housing Opportunity.