HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Lawrence County, Alabama (FY 2027)
$1,023 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lawrence County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Lawrence is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,023
+6.5% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$921–$1,125
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$40,920
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Alabama
26th 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 | $830 | $747–$913 | $33,200 | $15.96/hr | +9.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $835 | $752–$919 | $33,400 | $16.06/hr | +7.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,023 | $921–$1,125 | $40,920 | $19.67/hr | +6.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,315 | $1,184–$1,447 | $52,600 | $25.29/hr | +4.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,686 | $1,517–$1,855 | $67,440 | $32.42/hr | +8.8% |
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 | $1,939 | $1,745–$2,133 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,192 | $1,973–$2,411 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,445 | $2,201–$2,690 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,698 | $2,428–$2,968 |
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 Lawrence actually rent for?
Search any address in Lawrence for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
No card needed
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 Lawrence somewhere between $921 and $1,125. 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.
$1,023 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,920 a year. Put another way, $20 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%$921 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,023 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,125 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $171 | $273 | $375 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 6% from FY 2026 ($961) to FY 2027 ($1,023). Since FY 2020 it's up 49% in total, about 5.9% 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 | $480 | $546 | $687 | $889 | $950 | — |
| FY 2021 | $509 | $574 | $708 | $925 | $960 | +3.1% |
| FY 2022 | $554 | $592 | $720 | $946 | $1,009 | +1.7% |
| FY 2023 | $623 | $651 | $795 | $1,038 | $1,151 | +10.4% |
| FY 2024 | $740 | $763 | $924 | $1,202 | $1,352 | +16.2% |
| FY 2025 | $726 | $756 | $923 | $1,214 | $1,456 | -0.1% |
| FY 2026 | $755 | $776 | $961 | $1,262 | $1,550 | +4.1% |
| FY 2027In effect | $830 | $835 | $1,023 | $1,315 | $1,686 | +6.5% |
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 Lawrence, that runs from $830 for a studio up to $1,686 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 Lawrence in with one other county in the Decatur metro, Morgan County among them, and every one of them gets $1,023 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, Lawrence ranks 26th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 5% above the state median of $975 and about 4% below the national median county at $1,063. About 33,276 people live here, 35th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the 5 ZIP codes it covers in Lawrence, the two-bedroom rate is $920 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
Counties sharing the Decatur metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,023 two-bedroom figure as Lawrence.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Lawrence.
Colbert County
23 mi · 58,022 people
$1,085
+6%
Morgan County
24 mi · 124,471 people
$1,023
same rate
Limestone County
26 mi · 111,233 people
$1,341
+31%
Lauderdale County
27 mi · 95,830 people
$1,085
+6%
Winston County
32 mi · 23,682 people
$921
-10%
Franklin County
33 mi · 31,966 people
$921
-10%
Cullman County
42 mi · 90,566 people
$1,034
+1%
Madison County
43 mi · 405,718 people
$1,341
+31%
Questions people ask
$1,023 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $830 for a studio, $835 for one bedroom, $1,315 for three and $1,686 for four.
Tools for this county
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
What does a rental in Lawrence actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Lawrence for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.