HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Madison County, Arkansas (FY 2026)
$1,347 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Madison County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Madison is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,347
+21.2% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,212–$1,482
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$53,880
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Arkansas
2nd of 75
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Madison moves to $1,256. That's down 7%. 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 | $1,007 | $906–$1,108 | $40,280 | $19.37/hr | +18.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,115 | $1,004–$1,227 | $44,600 | $21.44/hr | +20.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,347 | $1,212–$1,482 | $53,880 | $25.90/hr | +21.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,873 | $1,686–$2,060 | $74,920 | $36.02/hr | +20.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,213 | $1,992–$2,434 | $88,520 | $42.56/hr | +23.1% |
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 | $2,545 | $2,291–$2,800 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,877 | $2,589–$3,165 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,209 | $2,888–$3,530 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,541 | $3,187–$3,895 |
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 Madison actually rent for?
Search any address in Madison 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 Madison somewhere between $1,212 and $1,482. 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.
$1,347 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $53,880 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%$1,212 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,347 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,482 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $462 | $597 | $732 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $12 | $147 | $282 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 21% from FY 2025 ($1,111) to FY 2026 ($1,347). Since FY 2020 it's up 67% in total, about 8.9% a year. The Arkansas median moved up 4% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $584 | $630 | $807 | $1,149 | $1,417 | — |
| FY 2021 | $579 | $618 | $780 | $1,116 | $1,350 | -3.3% |
| FY 2022 | $658 | $695 | $865 | $1,229 | $1,481 | +10.9% |
| FY 2023 | $720 | $764 | $930 | $1,322 | $1,582 | +7.5% |
| FY 2024 | $871 | $924 | $1,121 | $1,580 | $1,847 | +20.5% |
| FY 2025 | $853 | $925 | $1,111 | $1,557 | $1,798 | -0.9% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,007 | $1,115 | $1,347 | $1,873 | $2,213 | +21.2% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $916 | $1,056 | $1,256 | $1,739 | $2,099 | -6.8% |
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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Madison, that runs from $1,007 for a studio up to $2,213 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 Madison in with 2 other counties in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro, Benton County, Washington County among them, and every one of them gets $1,347 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 Arkansas's 75 counties, Madison ranks 2nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 53% above the state median of $880 and about 32% above the national median county at $1,018. About 16,737 people live here, 46th 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 72752 (Pettigrew) and $1,110 in 72721 (Combs), with the 8 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.
Counties sharing the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,347 two-bedroom figure as Madison.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Madison.
Washington County
29 mi · 247,331 people
$1,347
same rate
Carroll County
30 mi · 28,362 people
$954
-29%
Newton County
30 mi · 7,243 people
$880
-35%
Johnson County
34 mi · 25,925 people
$884
-34%
Benton County
41 mi · 286,528 people
$1,347
same rate
Franklin County
41 mi · 17,160 people
$880
-35%
Crawford County
42 mi · 60,593 people
$937
-30%
Boone County
44 mi · 37,662 people
$880
-35%
Questions people ask
$1,347 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,007 for a studio, $1,115 for one bedroom, $1,873 for three and $2,213 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 Madison actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Madison for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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