County Cost Group ZZ540: 2026 BAH at a glance
DoD prices housing in most non-metropolitan counties by grouping counties with similar rental costs into a county cost group. Group ZZ540 covers 366 ZIP codes in 16 states. If your duty ZIP falls in one of the counties below, this is your BAH.
An E-5 with dependents here receives $1,344 a month, 35% below the median housing area ($2,064), ranking 323 of 338 nationally.
For officers, an O-3 with dependents gets $1,827, ranking 329 of 338 (28% below the $2,529 median). Promotion from E-5 to E-7 adds $363 a month in housing allowance here, before any change in base pay.
Dependents add $258 a month for an E-5 (24% over the $1,086 single rate), less than the typical $375 gap nationally. The with-dependents rate is the same whether you have one dependent or five.
2026 BAH rates for every grade
Monthly, effective January 1, 2026. "Difference" is what dependents add at each grade.
| Grade | With dependents | Without | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $1,242 | $1,005 | $237 |
| E-2 | $1,242 | $1,005 | $237 |
| E-3 | $1,242 | $1,005 | $237 |
| E-4 | $1,242 | $1,005 | $237 |
| E-5 | $1,344 | $1,086 | $258 |
| E-6 | $1,641 | $1,230 | $411 |
| E-7 | $1,707 | $1,281 | $426 |
| E-8 | $1,782 | $1,407 | $375 |
| E-9 | $1,890 | $1,488 | $402 |
| W-1 | $1,659 | $1,245 | $414 |
| W-2 | $1,737 | $1,404 | $333 |
| W-3 | $1,830 | $1,503 | $327 |
| W-4 | $1,911 | $1,650 | $261 |
| W-5 | $2,016 | $1,722 | $294 |
| O-1E | $1,719 | $1,341 | $378 |
| O-2E | $1,815 | $1,470 | $345 |
| O-3E | $1,926 | $1,632 | $294 |
| O-1 | $1,386 | $1,140 | $246 |
| O-2 | $1,638 | $1,314 | $324 |
| O-3 | $1,827 | $1,530 | $297 |
| O-4 | $2,046 | $1,704 | $342 |
| O-5 | $2,205 | $1,740 | $465 |
| O-6 | $2,220 | $1,806 | $414 |
| O-7 | $2,232 | $1,836 | $396 |
Official DoD rates for MHA ZZ540. If rates in an area fall, members already there keep their higher rate (rate protection) until they PCS or their eligibility changes. 2027 rates are normally announced in mid-December: what to expect.
Nearby housing areas
The closest other MHAs by ZIP-code center. Your BAH follows your duty ZIP, but these show how the rate changes across the region if you are choosing between assignments.
Within about 132 miles, E-5 with-dependents BAH runs from $1,344 (this area) to $2,436 (Saint Louis, MO Area), a spread of $1,092 a month or $13,104 a year for the same rank.
| Housing area | Distance | E-5 with deps | O-3 with deps |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Saint Louis, IL Area IL093 | 33 mi | $1,542 | $2,208 |
| Saint Louis, MO Area MO161 | 54 mi | $2,436 | $2,760 |
| Springfield, IL Area IL335 | 93 mi | $1,527 | $2,001 |
| Paducah, KY KY430 | 101 mi | $1,365 | $2,031 |
| Terre Haute, IN Area IN338 | 132 mi | $1,494 | $2,001 |
| Champaign, IL Area IL088 | 132 mi | $1,539 | $2,127 |
Counties in this cost group
West Virginia (41 ZIPs)
Mercer, Monroe, Gilmer, Greenbrier
Kentucky (40 ZIPs)
Perry, Todd, Marshall, Garrard, Nicholas
Nebraska (39 ZIPs)
Thayer, Richardson, Red Willow, Polk, Valley, Garden, Nance, Logan
Iowa (38 ZIPs)
Jones, Wayne, Winneshiek, Union, Osceola
Illinois (33 ZIPs)
Jackson, Whiteside, Clay
Indiana (33 ZIPs)
Henry, Fulton, Rush, Martin
Mississippi (33 ZIPs)
Coahoma, Scott, Panola, Leake, Quitman
Oklahoma (22 ZIPs)
Ottawa, Haskell, Atoka
Tennessee (18 ZIPs)
Henry, Warren, Lake
Kansas (15 ZIPs)
Mitchell, Ottawa, Woodson, Grant, Scott
South Carolina (14 ZIPs)
Williamsburg, Abbeville, Cherokee
North Carolina (11 ZIPs)
Hertford, McDowell
North Dakota (11 ZIPs)
Walsh
South Dakota (7 ZIPs)
Clark
Missouri (6 ZIPs)
Ripley
Louisiana (5 ZIPs)
Richland
Using this rate
- Find your exact rate by duty ZIP, grade and dependency status in the BAH calculator.
- Moving here? Price the move and your PPM in the PCS calculator, and test renting against buying in the rent vs buy calculator.
- See BAH with base pay and BAS as one number in the compensation calculator.
Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), matched to the official DoD ZIP-to-MHA mapping. Rates: DoD BAH rate file effective January 1, 2026.