HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Northwest Arctic Borough carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,930 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Northwest Arctic keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,930
+2.6% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,737–$2,123
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$77,200
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Alaska
4th of 30
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Northwest Arctic moves to $2,005. That's up 4%. 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 | $1,331 | $1,198–$1,464 | $53,240 | $25.60/hr | +3.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,471 | $1,324–$1,618 | $58,840 | $28.29/hr | +2.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,930 | $1,737–$2,123 | $77,200 | $37.12/hr | +2.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,547 | $2,292–$2,802 | $101,880 | $48.98/hr | -0.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,676 | $2,408–$2,944 | $107,040 | $51.46/hr | -10.0% |
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 | $3,077 | $2,769–$3,385 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,479 | $3,131–$3,827 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,880 | $3,492–$4,268 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,282 | $3,854–$4,710 |
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 Northwest Arctic actually rent for?
Search any address in Northwest Arctic 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 FMR isn't the check you'd receive. Your local housing authority turns it into a payment standard, set between 90% and 110% of FMR, so a two-bedroom here lands between $1,737 and $2,123. Subtract about 30% of the tenant's income and that's the housing assistance payment. If you ask more than similar unassisted units rent for, the PHA's rent reasonableness check will push back.
At the standard 30% of income, a household needs about $77,200 a year to afford $1,930 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $37 an hour.
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%$1,737 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,930 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,123 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $987 | $1,180 | $1,373 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $537 | $730 | $923 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($1,881) to FY 2026 ($1,930). Since FY 2020 it's up 37% in total, about 5.3% a year. The Alaska median moved up 1% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,205 | $1,213 | $1,412 | $1,906 | $1,913 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,115 | $1,122 | $1,385 | $1,871 | $1,878 | -1.9% |
| FY 2022 | $1,015 | $1,161 | $1,528 | $2,064 | $2,072 | +10.3% |
| FY 2023 | $1,150 | $1,307 | $1,720 | $2,302 | $2,311 | +12.6% |
| FY 2024 | $1,277 | $1,434 | $1,884 | $2,611 | $2,881 | +9.5% |
| FY 2025 | $1,290 | $1,434 | $1,881 | $2,560 | $2,973 | -0.2% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,331 | $1,471 | $1,930 | $2,547 | $2,676 | +2.6% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,396 | $1,651 | $2,005 | $2,389 | $2,635 | +3.9% |
About this rate
HUD sets Fair Market Rent once a year, based on what typical units in the area actually rent for, with utilities folded in. FY 2026 runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, and in Northwest Arctic Borough the five published rates run from $1,331 to $2,676, studio through four bedrooms.
Northwest Arctic is a nonmetro borough, so HUD sets its FMR from rents in the borough itself rather than a wider metro. The number applies borough-wide, from Buckland on out.
The state median two-bedroom FMR is $1,424. Northwest Arctic comes in at $1,930, about 36% above that, and ranks 4th of 30 in Alaska. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 90% above. Population is around 7,682.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs for the 11 ZIP codes it covers in Northwest Arctic. Two-bedroom rates run from $1,700 in 99727 (Buckland) to $2,010 in 99749 (Kiana), a $310 spread inside one borough. Whether your housing authority uses the ZIP rate or the borough rate depends on whether HUD has designated this area for Small Area FMRs. Ask the PHA which one it's on before you price a unit.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Northwest Arctic.
Nome Census Area
199 mi · 10,018 people
$1,533
-21%
North Slope Borough
248 mi · 10,924 people
$1,625
-16%
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
265 mi · 5,355 people
$1,126
-42%
Kusilvak Census Area
340 mi · 8,372 people
$973
-50%
Denali Borough
387 mi · 2,101 people
$1,187
-38%
Fairbanks North Star Borough
395 mi · 96,299 people
$1,676
-13%
Bethel Census Area
432 mi · 18,538 people
$1,938
same rate
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
480 mi · 108,661 people
$1,376
-29%
Questions people ask
$1,930 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,331 for a studio, $1,471 for one bedroom, $2,547 for three and $2,676 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 Northwest Arctic actually go for?
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