HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Colbert County, Alabama (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Colbert County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,000 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Colbert keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,000
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$900 to $1,100
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$40,000
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Alabama
20th of 67
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Colbert moves to $1,085. That's up 9%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Colbert actually rent for?
Search any address in Colbert for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $698 | $628 to $768 | $27,920 | $13.42/hr | +3.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $775 | $698 to $853 | $31,000 | $14.90/hr | +4.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,000 | $900 to $1,100 | $40,000 | $19.23/hr | +2.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,242 | $1,118 to $1,366 | $49,680 | $23.88/hr | +3.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,409 | $1,268 to $1,550 | $56,360 | $27.10/hr | -0.8% |
5 to 8 bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $1,620 | $1,458 to $1,782 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,832 | $1,649 to $2,015 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,043 | $1,839 to $2,247 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,254 | $2,029 to $2,479 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Colbert, that runs from $698 for a studio up to $1,409 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Colbert in with one other county in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro, Lauderdale County among them, and every one of them gets $1,000 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Alabama's 67 counties, Colbert ranks 20th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 14% above the state median of $879 and within a couple percent of the national median county at $1,018. About 57,270 people live here, 25th in the state.
Counties sharing the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $880 in 35646 (Leighton) and $1,170 in 35661 (Muscle Shoals), with the 6 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Colbert somewhere between $900 and $1,100. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$1,000 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,000 a year. Put another way, $19 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom, assuming the rent equals the payment standard. Tenant pays 30% of monthly income, HUD's housing assistance payment covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | HAP at 90% ($900) | HAP at 100% ($1,000) | HAP at 110% ($1,100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $150 | $250 | $350 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($974) to FY 2026 ($1,000). Since FY 2020 it's up 40% in total, about 5.8% a year. The Alabama median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $498 | $565 | $714 | $913 | $1,191 | — |
| FY 2021 | $525 | $580 | $748 | $943 | $1,213 | +4.8% |
| FY 2022 | $525 | $575 | $751 | $935 | $1,173 | +0.4% |
| FY 2023 | $574 | $617 | $811 | $1,000 | $1,249 | +8.0% |
| FY 2024 | $664 | $720 | $940 | $1,157 | $1,425 | +15.9% |
| FY 2025 | $674 | $743 | $974 | $1,196 | $1,421 | +3.6% |
| FY 2026 | $698 | $775 | $1,000 | $1,242 | $1,409 | +2.7% |
| FY 2027 | $760 | $834 | $1,085 | $1,348 | $1,426 | +8.5% |
Nearby counties
Lauderdale County
$1,00013 mi · pop 94,329
Lawrence County
$96123 mi · pop 33,116
Franklin County
$77624 mi · pop 32,011
Limestone County
$1,31043 mi · pop 104,199
Winston County
$77644 mi · pop 23,655
Marion County
$77645 mi · pop 29,203
Morgan County
$96147 mi · pop 123,102
Madison County
$1,31063 mi · pop 389,781
Questions people ask
$1,000 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $698 for a studio, $775 for one bedroom, $1,242 for three and $1,409 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Look up any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count.
Section 8 rent calculator
Work out the payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent.
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords.
Rent affordability calculator
See what income a household needs for a given rent.
What does a rental in Colbert actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Colbert for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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