The 2026 U.S. County Fair Market Rent & Voucher Index

An empirical evaluation of HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent schedules across 3,143 counties, payment standard flexibilities under 24 CFR § 982.503, and Section 8 affordability gaps.

🟢Statutory Status: Active HUD FY2026 Federal Schedules

All metrics calibrated against HUD Notice 89 FR 73400 (FY2026 Fair Market Rents), 24 CFR Part 982 federal housing regulations, and Small Area FMR (SAFMR) metropolitan designations.

1. National Housing Baseline Benchmarks

National Median 2-BR

$1,350

Per month standard

Highest Metro 2-BR

$3,514

San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA

Statutory TTP Floor

30%

Of adjusted monthly income

Initial Lease Cap

40%

Maximum tenant rent burden

2. Federal Housing Assistance Mechanics

Under 24 CFR § 982.503, each Public Housing Agency (PHA) establishes voucher payment standards between 90% and 110% of the published HUD Fair Market Rent. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) paid directly to landlords is calculated via 24 CFR § 982.505:

HAP = min(Payment Standard, Gross Rent) − Total Tenant Payment (TTP)

TTP is defined as the greatest of: (1) 30% of monthly adjusted income; (2) 10% of monthly gross income; or (3) the PHA statutory minimum rent ($0 to $50).

3. HUD FY2026 Key Regulatory Amendments

Regulatory Area	FY2026 Rule	Statutory Authority
Small Area FMR (SAFMR)	Mandatory ZIP-code level FMR calculation across 65 metropolitan areas	89 FR 73400
Standard Deductions	$480 annual dependent allowance; $525 elderly/disabled allowance	24 CFR § 5.611
Payment Standard Band	Basic range maintained at 90% to 110% of local published FMR	24 CFR § 982.503(b)

Statutory Provenance & Fact-Checking Standards

✓ Verified HUD FY2026 FMR Rules

Maintained under the editorial review of Raymond Vance, MSW (HUD Section 8 Housing Specialist). All calculation algorithms are calibrated against statutory federal regulations:24 CFR § 982.503 (Voucher Payment Standards),24 CFR § 982.505 (HAP Calculation),HUD Handbook 7420.10G, andFY2026 County-Level Fair Market Rent (FMR) Datasets (89 FR 73400).

Dataset status: FY2026 HUD Official Documentation · Data classification: U.S. Federal Government Work (Public Domain) · Independent non-governmental reference engine.

📚 Academic & Policy Citation (APA 7th Edition)

VoucherFig Housing Policy Group. (2026). U.S. 3,143-County Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher & Fair Market Rent Analysis System (FY2026 ed.). VoucherFig. https://voucherfig.com

📊

Evaluate Metro Housing Wage vs. Actual Wage Percentiles

Cross-reference HUD Fair Market Rent levels against 10th, 50th, and 90th percentile hourly wages across 25 major U.S. metropolitan areas in the 2026 Wage & Statutory Compensation Benchmark Index.

Wage Benchmark Index →

📚 Academic & Housing Policy Citation ReferenceHUD SAFMR Baseline 2026

VoucherFig Policy Research. (2026). 2026 National County Fair Market Rent & Section 8 Housing Voucher Benchmark Index across 3,143 U.S. Jurisdictions. https://voucherfig.com/research/2026-county-fair-market-rent-index

Housing Authority & HUD Program Notice: The 2026 County Fair Market Rent & Housing Voucher Index is derived from published U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) documentation. Individual Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) maintain statutory discretion to establish payment standards between 90% and 110% of published FMRs (or up to 120% under SAFMR exception areas) without prior HUD headquarters approval. Voucher recipients and prospective landlords must consult their local housing authority for exact voucher payment vouchers and tenant rent calculations.