HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in St. Clair County, Alabama (FY 2027)
$1,375 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Clair County, and it's the baseline every voucher in St. Clair is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,375
+8.6% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,238–$1,513
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$55,000
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Alabama
5th 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 | $1,177 | $1,059–$1,295 | $47,080 | $22.63/hr | +14.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,263 | $1,137–$1,389 | $50,520 | $24.29/hr | +9.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,375 | $1,238–$1,513 | $55,000 | $26.44/hr | +8.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,727 | $1,554–$1,900 | $69,080 | $33.21/hr | +9.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,941 | $1,747–$2,135 | $77,640 | $37.33/hr | +7.8% |
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 | $2,232 | $2,009–$2,455 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,523 | $2,271–$2,775 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,814 | $2,533–$3,095 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,106 | $2,795–$3,417 |
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 St. Clair actually rent for?
Search any address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair somewhere between $1,238 and $1,513. 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.
$1,375 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $55,000 a year. Put another way, $26 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%$1,238 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,375 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,513 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $488 | $625 | $763 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $38 | $175 | $313 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 9% from FY 2026 ($1,266) to FY 2027 ($1,375). Since FY 2020 it's up 39% in total, about 4.9% 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 | $804 | $861 | $986 | $1,291 | $1,425 | — |
| FY 2021 | $817 | $871 | $1,002 | $1,303 | $1,409 | +1.6% |
| FY 2022 | $765 | $820 | $943 | $1,220 | $1,316 | -5.9% |
| FY 2023 | $866 | $942 | $1,075 | $1,376 | $1,494 | +14.0% |
| FY 2024 | $983 | $1,109 | $1,245 | $1,570 | $1,752 | +15.8% |
| FY 2025 | $998 | $1,144 | $1,267 | $1,583 | $1,791 | +1.8% |
| FY 2026 | $1,024 | $1,155 | $1,266 | $1,583 | $1,801 | -0.1% |
| FY 2027In effect | $1,177 | $1,263 | $1,375 | $1,727 | $1,941 | +8.6% |
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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In St. Clair, that runs from $1,177 for a studio up to $1,941 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 St. Clair in with 4 other counties in the Birmingham-Hoover metro, Jefferson County, Shelby County, Blount County among them, and every one of them gets $1,375 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, St. Clair ranks 5th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 41% above the state median of $975 and about 29% above the national median county at $1,063. About 94,166 people live here, 16th 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 35131 (Ragland) and $1,740 in 35004 (Moody), with the 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35004 | Moody | $1,740 | +26.5% |
| 35052 | Cook Springs | $1,330 | -3.3% |
| 35054 | Cropwell | $1,490 | +8.4% |
| 35112 | Margaret | $1,250 | -9.1% |
| 35120 | Odenville | $1,250 | -9.1% |
| 35125 | Pell City | $1,170 | -14.9% |
| 35128 | Pell City | $1,480 | +7.6% |
| 35131 | Ragland | $920 | -33.1% |
| 35135 | Riverside | $1,400 | +1.8% |
| 35146 | Springville | $920 | -33.1% |
| 35182 | Wattsville | $1,375County rate | — |
| 35953 | Ashville | $1,170 | -14.9% |
| 35987 | Steele | $950 | -30.9% |
Counties sharing the Birmingham-Hoover metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,375 two-bedroom figure as St. Clair.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to St. Clair.
Blount County
23 mi · 59,518 people
$1,375
same rate
Talladega County
24 mi · 81,021 people
$977
-29%
Etowah County
26 mi · 103,105 people
$975
-29%
Calhoun County
29 mi · 116,090 people
$1,010
-27%
Jefferson County
32 mi · 667,755 people
$1,375
same rate
Shelby County
36 mi · 230,211 people
$1,375
same rate
Clay County
41 mi · 14,192 people
$921
-33%
Marshall County
42 mi · 99,748 people
$925
-33%
Questions people ask
$1,375 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,177 for a studio, $1,263 for one bedroom, $1,727 for three and $1,941 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 St. Clair actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. Clair for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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