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

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $829 to $1,013. 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 DeKalb County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In DeKalb those run from $920 to $1,360 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 DeKalb 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.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in DeKalb County, Alabama (FY 2027)

$921 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in DeKalb County, and it's the baseline every voucher in DeKalb is measured against.

Two-bedroom FMR

$921

+18.7% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$829–$1,013

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

Income to afford

$36,840

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Alabama

52nd of 67

by two-bedroom FMR, highest first

FY 2027 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 2026
Studio	$699	$629–$769	$27,960	$13.44/hr	+21.4%
1 bedroom	$704	$634–$774	$28,160	$13.54/hr	+19.1%
2 bedroom	$921	$829–$1,013	$36,840	$17.71/hr	+18.7%
3 bedroom	$1,154	$1,039–$1,269	$46,160	$22.19/hr	+16.3%
4 bedroom	$1,539	$1,385–$1,693	$61,560	$29.60/hr	+18.2%

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	$1,770	$1,593–$1,947
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,001	$1,801–$2,201
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,232	$2,009–$2,455
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,462	$2,216–$2,708

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

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

Search any address in DeKalb 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 DeKalb somewhere between $829 and $1,013. 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.

$921 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $36,840 a year. Put another way, $18 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%$829	Voucher pays at 100%$921	Voucher pays at 110%$1,013
$2,500	$750	$79	$171	$263
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$0	$0

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 19% from FY 2026 ($776) to FY 2027 ($921). Since FY 2020 it's up 50% in total, about 6.0% a year. The Alabama median moved up 11% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$462	$465	$612	$818	$884	—
FY 2021	$418	$492	$634	$852	$936	+3.6%
FY 2022	$468	$555	$705	$953	$1,054	+11.2%
FY 2023	$560	$579	$740	$1,015	$1,153	+5.0%
FY 2024	$642	$652	$857	$1,159	$1,391	+15.8%
FY 2025	$578	$587	$772	$1,044	$1,280	-9.9%
FY 2026	$576	$591	$776	$992	$1,302	+0.5%
FY 2027In effect	$699	$704	$921	$1,154	$1,539	+18.7%

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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In DeKalb, that runs from $699 for a studio up to $1,539 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Because DeKalb 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, Fort Payne included.

Among Alabama's 67 counties, DeKalb ranks 52nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 6% below the state median of $975 and about 13% below the national median county at $1,063. About 72,269 people live here, 20th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $920 in 35961 (Collinsville) and $1,360 in 35981 (Ider), with the 14 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
35961	Collinsville	$920	-0.1%
35962	Crossville	$980	+6.4%
35963	Dawson	$920	-0.1%
35967	Fort Payne	$940	+2.1%
35968	Fort Payne	$920	-0.1%
35971	Fyffe	$960	+4.2%
35974	Geraldine	$940	+2.1%
35975	Groveoak	$950	+3.1%
35978	Henagar	$1,190	+29.2%
35981	Ider	$1,360	+47.7%
35984	Mentone	$950	+3.1%
35986	Rainsville	$920	-0.1%
35988	Sylvania	$920	-0.1%
35989	Valley Head	$920	-0.1%

Nearby counties

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

Jackson County

22 mi · 53,053 people

$921

same rate

Cherokee County

23 mi · 25,443 people

$986

+7%

Marshall County

29 mi · 99,748 people

$925

same rate

Etowah County

36 mi · 103,105 people

$975

+6%

Madison County

47 mi · 405,718 people

$1,341

+46%

Calhoun County

51 mi · 116,090 people

$1,010

+10%

Blount County

56 mi · 59,518 people

$1,375

+49%

Cleburne County

58 mi · 15,426 people

$1,004

+9%

Questions people ask

$921 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $699 for a studio, $704 for one bedroom, $1,154 for three and $1,539 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