How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Cullman County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $791 to $967. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Cullman County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Cullman those run from $830 to $1,020 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Cullman County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Alabama figures are loaded.

What is the FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for Cullman County?

$1,034 for a two-bedroom, effective October 1, 2026. Studio $785, one bedroom $790, three $1,356, four $1,581.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026

Fair Market Rent in Cullman County, Alabama (FY 2026)

$879 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Cullman County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Cullman is measured against.

Two-bedroom FMR

$879

-2.5% from FY 2025

Payment standard

$791–$967

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$35,160

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Alabama

34th of 67

by two-bedroom FMR, highest first

FY 2027

HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Cullman moves to $1,034. That's up 18%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.

FY 2026 Fair Market Rents

Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.

Bedrooms	FMR	Payment standard	Income needed	Hourly wage	vs FY 2025
Studio	$666	$599–$733	$26,640	$12.81/hr	-3.6%
1 bedroom	$670	$603–$737	$26,800	$12.88/hr	-3.6%
2 bedroom	$879	$791–$967	$35,160	$16.90/hr	-2.5%
3 bedroom	$1,137	$1,023–$1,251	$45,480	$21.87/hr	-3.3%
4 bedroom	$1,381	$1,243–$1,519	$55,240	$26.56/hr	+3.1%

Five to eight 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	$1,588	$1,429–$1,747
6 bedroom Estimate	$1,795	$1,616–$1,975
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,002	$1,802–$2,202
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,210	$1,989–$2,431

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Cullman actually rent for?

Search any address in Cullman for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.

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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 Cullman somewhere between $791 and $967. 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.

$879 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $35,160 a year. Put another way, $17 an hour full time.

Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.

Monthly household income	Tenant pays (30%)	Voucher pays at 90%$791	Voucher pays at 100%$879	Voucher pays at 110%$967
$2,500	$750	$41	$129	$217
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$0	$0

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went down 3% from FY 2025 ($902) to FY 2026 ($879). Since FY 2020 it's up 36% in total, about 5.3% a year. The Alabama median moved up 3% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$469	$525	$645	$871	$874	—
FY 2021	$494	$541	$665	$898	$902	+3.1%
FY 2022	$559	$607	$747	$1,009	$1,013	+12.3%
FY 2023	$627	$655	$815	$1,097	$1,125	+9.1%
FY 2024	$767	$772	$1,002	$1,306	$1,462	+22.9%
FY 2025	$691	$695	$902	$1,176	$1,340	-10.0%
FY 2026In effect	$666	$670	$879	$1,137	$1,381	-2.5%
FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026	$785	$790	$1,034	$1,356	$1,581	+17.6%

About this rate

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 Cullman, that runs from $666 for a studio up to $1,381 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Because Cullman sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a county-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the county, Cullman included.

Among Alabama's 67 counties, Cullman ranks 34th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $879 and about 14% below the national median county at $1,018. About 88,284 people live here, 17th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $830 in 35070 (Garden City) and $1,020 in 35033 (Bremen), with the 13 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.

ZIP	City	2BR rate	vs county
35019	Baileyton	$840	-4.4%
35033	Bremen	$1,020	+16.0%
35053	Crane Hill	$930	+5.8%
35055	Cullman	$910	+3.5%
35056	Cullman	$880	+0.1%
35057	Cullman	$850	-3.3%
35058	Cullman	$870	-1.0%
35070	Garden City	$830	-5.6%
35077	Hanceville	$1,020	+16.0%
35083	Holly Pond	$870	-1.0%
35087	Joppa	$970	+10.4%
35098	Logan	$910	+3.5%
35179	Vinemont	$840	-4.4%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Cullman.

Blount County

20 mi · 59,077 people

$1,266

+44%

Morgan County

25 mi · 123,102 people

$961

+9%

Marshall County

32 mi · 97,923 people

$776

-12%

Walker County

34 mi · 64,978 people

$886

+1%

Winston County

34 mi · 23,655 people

$776

-12%

Jefferson County

42 mi · 672,265 people

$1,266

+44%

Lawrence County

42 mi · 33,116 people

$961

+9%

Madison County

43 mi · 389,781 people

$1,310

+49%

Questions people ask

$879 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $666 for a studio, $670 for one bedroom, $1,137 for three and $1,381 for four.

Tools for this county

All Alabama counties All states

Fair Market Rent lookup

Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count

Section 8 rent calculator

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

The income a household needs for a given rent