Section 8 rent report:
fair market rents across all 50 states.
HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents, Small Area FMRs where published, aggregated from 38,408 ZIP codes; medians reported by state; snapshot 2026-07-14. Every figure on this page is computed directly from HUD data — free to cite with a link.
key findings.
Median of the 51 state medians, per month.
California: $1,440 – $6,670 for a 3BR across its ZIPs.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California — the single highest 3BR FMR in the dataset.
23 states have a median 3BR under $1,500; 6 sit above $2,500.
- Hawaii$3,390
- California$3,300
- Massachusetts$3,080
- New Jersey$2,960
- District of Columbia$2,780
- Kentucky$1,210
- Kansas$1,220
- Mississippi$1,220
- West Virginia$1,220
- Arkansas$1,230
all 51 states.
| state | median 2 BR | median 3 BR | 3 BR range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,010 | $1,280 | $940 – $2,540 |
| Alaska | $1,510 | $2,020 | $1,350 – $3,410 |
| Arizona | $1,630 | $2,150 | $1,300 – $3,680 |
| Arkansas | $930 | $1,230 | $1,060 – $2,810 |
| California | $2,600 | $3,300 | $1,440 – $6,670 |
| Colorado | $1,710 | $2,300 | $1,170 – $4,040 |
| Connecticut | $1,910 | $2,340 | $1,560 – $4,560 |
| Delaware | $1,470 | $1,950 | $1,590 – $2,640 |
| District of Columbia | $2,200 | $2,780 | $1,430 – $4,250 |
| Florida | $1,860 | $2,420 | $1,200 – $4,820 |
| Georgia | $1,195 | $1,540 | $1,170 – $3,270 |
| Hawaii | $2,550 | $3,390 | $2,440 – $5,510 |
| Idaho | $1,200 | $1,660 | $1,170 – $3,120 |
| Illinois | $1,060 | $1,370 | $1,100 – $3,470 |
| Indiana | $1,100 | $1,380 | $1,150 – $2,850 |
| Iowa | $980 | $1,280 | $1,100 – $2,290 |
| Kansas | $930 | $1,220 | $1,050 – $2,170 |
| Kentucky | $950 | $1,210 | $1,040 – $2,440 |
| Louisiana | $1,050 | $1,350 | $1,000 – $2,590 |
| Maine | $1,500 | $2,000 | $1,220 – $3,890 |
| Maryland | $1,770 | $2,280 | $1,300 – $3,920 |
| Massachusetts | $2,490 | $3,080 | $1,650 – $5,290 |
| Michigan | $1,150 | $1,460 | $1,170 – $2,970 |
| Minnesota | $1,110 | $1,470 | $1,170 – $3,390 |
| Mississippi | $960 | $1,220 | $1,010 – $2,310 |
| Missouri | $990 | $1,280 | $1,060 – $2,660 |
| Montana | $1,370 | $1,860 | $1,250 – $3,450 |
| Nebraska | $1,020 | $1,325 | $1,150 – $2,720 |
| Nevada | $1,685 | $2,315 | $1,360 – $3,760 |
| New Hampshire | $1,920 | $2,530 | $1,450 – $4,230 |
| New Jersey | $2,360 | $2,960 | $1,610 – $5,050 |
| New Mexico | $1,070 | $1,420 | $1,170 – $3,060 |
| New York | $1,500 | $1,850 | $1,170 – $5,470 |
| North Carolina | $1,210 | $1,590 | $1,110 – $3,240 |
| North Dakota | $970 | $1,320 | $1,050 – $2,270 |
| Ohio | $1,090 | $1,390 | $1,170 – $2,680 |
| Oklahoma | $990 | $1,300 | $1,120 – $2,520 |
| Oregon | $1,570 | $2,180 | $1,320 – $3,790 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,250 | $1,610 | $1,170 – $3,260 |
| Rhode Island | $1,820 | $2,210 | $1,760 – $3,220 |
| South Carolina | $1,180 | $1,490 | $1,080 – $3,330 |
| South Dakota | $980 | $1,290 | $1,110 – $2,420 |
| Tennessee | $1,120 | $1,460 | $1,110 – $3,320 |
| Texas | $1,240 | $1,630 | $1,170 – $3,650 |
| Utah | $1,340 | $1,780 | $1,170 – $3,760 |
| Vermont | $1,425 | $1,820 | $1,330 – $3,140 |
| Virginia | $1,260 | $1,670 | $1,100 – $3,380 |
| Washington | $1,620 | $2,240 | $1,220 – $4,910 |
| West Virginia | $940 | $1,220 | $1,040 – $2,190 |
| Wisconsin | $1,095 | $1,400 | $1,170 – $2,770 |
| Wyoming | $1,020 | $1,350 | $1,190 – $2,330 |
what this means for investors.
The arbitrage lives in the cheap-median states. A $1,610 national median hides a floor near $1,210 in the least expensive states — and in those markets a Section 8 3-bedroom rent can clear debt service on a house that costs a fraction of what the same rent buys on the coasts. When the voucher ceiling is high relative to price, the deal underwrites itself. See how much Section 8 landlords actually make for the income side of that math.
The spread inside a state matters more than the spread between states. California alone runs from $1,440 to $6,670 for a 3-bedroom depending on the ZIP — a $5,230gap. Picking the right ZIP code inside a "cheap" state can hand you a coastal-level voucher on Midwestern prices. State selection gets you in the neighborhood; ZIP-level selection is what actually sets your yield.
That is why the median is a starting point, not an answer. Before you commit to a market, run the specific property against its specific FMR and financing: the DSCR calculator turns a voucher rent and a purchase price into a coverage ratio in seconds, so you can see whether the ceiling in that ZIP actually supports the deal you are looking at.
Verleon AI, Section 8 Rent Report 2026, based on HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent data. Free to cite with a link to this page. Explore the underlying state-level pages at verleon.ai/section-8-rents.
Source: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents (Small Area FMRs where published), aggregated from 38,408 ZIP codes across 51 states + DC, snapshot 2026-07-14. Payment standards vary by public housing authority (typically 90–110% of FMR). Figures are for research and do not guarantee approved rent on any specific unit.