HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Pickens County, Alabama (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Pickens County is $776 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$776
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$698 to $854
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$31,040
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Alabama
66th of 67
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Pickens moves to $921. That's up 19%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Pickens actually rent for?
Search any address in Pickens 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 | $588 | $529 to $647 | $23,520 | $11.31/hr | -4.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $591 | $532 to $650 | $23,640 | $11.37/hr | -4.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $776 | $698 to $854 | $31,040 | $14.92/hr | +0.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $994 | $895 to $1,093 | $39,760 | $19.12/hr | -6.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,290 | $1,161 to $1,419 | $51,600 | $24.81/hr | -1.1% |
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 | $1,484 | $1,336 to $1,632 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,677 | $1,509 to $1,845 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,871 | $1,684 to $2,058 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,064 | $1,858 to $2,270 |
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 Pickens, that runs from $588 for a studio up to $1,290 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Pickens is its own HUD metro area (Pickens County, AL), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Alabama's 67 counties, Pickens ranks 66th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 12% below the state median of $879 and about 24% below the national median county at $1,018. About 18,925 people live here, 50th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $780 in 35481 (Reform) and $1,160 in 35461 (Ethelsville), with the 5 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 Pickens somewhere between $698 and $854. 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.
$776 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $31,040 a year. Put another way, $15 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% ($698) | HAP at 100% ($776) | HAP at 110% ($854) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $0 | $26 | $104 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2025 ($772) to FY 2026 ($776). Since FY 2020 it's up 27% in total, about 4.0% 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 | $486 | $489 | $612 | $826 | $829 | — |
| FY 2021 | $490 | $493 | $634 | $857 | $860 | +3.6% |
| FY 2022 | $535 | $538 | $705 | $952 | $956 | +11.2% |
| FY 2023 | $558 | $562 | $740 | $979 | $994 | +5.0% |
| FY 2024 | $683 | $687 | $857 | $1,178 | $1,448 | +15.8% |
| FY 2025 | $615 | $619 | $772 | $1,061 | $1,304 | -9.9% |
| FY 2026 | $588 | $591 | $776 | $994 | $1,290 | +0.5% |
| FY 2027 | $699 | $704 | $921 | $1,133 | $1,430 | +18.7% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$776 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $588 for a studio, $591 for one bedroom, $994 for three and $1,290 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 Pickens actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Pickens for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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