HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Sebastian County, Arkansas (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Sebastian County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $937 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Sebastian keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$937
+3.0% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$843–$1,031
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$37,480
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Arkansas
21st of 75
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Sebastian moves to $979. 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 | $683 | $615–$751 | $27,320 | $13.13/hr | -0.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $714 | $643–$785 | $28,560 | $13.73/hr | +2.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $937 | $843–$1,031 | $37,480 | $18.02/hr | +3.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,266 | $1,139–$1,393 | $50,640 | $24.35/hr | +2.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,532 | $1,379–$1,685 | $61,280 | $29.46/hr | +2.4% |
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 | $1,762 | $1,586–$1,938 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,992 | $1,793–$2,191 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,221 | $1,999–$2,443 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,451 | $2,206–$2,696 |
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 Sebastian actually rent for?
Search any address in Sebastian 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 Sebastian somewhere between $843 and $1,031. 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.
$937 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $37,480 a year. Put another way, $18 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%$843 | Voucher pays at 100%$937 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $93 | $187 | $281 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($910) to FY 2026 ($937). Since FY 2020 it's up 37% in total, about 5.3% 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 | $498 | $521 | $686 | $950 | $1,121 | — |
| FY 2021 | $551 | $552 | $728 | $1,011 | $1,177 | +6.1% |
| FY 2022 | $559 | $562 | $740 | $1,031 | $1,165 | +1.6% |
| FY 2023 | $601 | $605 | $797 | $1,102 | $1,270 | +7.7% |
| FY 2024 | $674 | $678 | $891 | $1,222 | $1,437 | +11.8% |
| FY 2025 | $689 | $694 | $910 | $1,236 | $1,496 | +2.1% |
| FY 2026In effect | $683 | $714 | $937 | $1,266 | $1,532 | +3.0% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $741 | $748 | $979 | $1,324 | $1,625 | +4.5% |
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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Sebastian, that runs from $683 for a studio up to $1,532 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 Sebastian in with 2 other counties in the Fort Smith metro, Crawford County, Sequoyah County among them, and every one of them gets $937 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, Sebastian ranks 21st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 6% above the state median of $880 and about 8% below the national median county at $1,018. About 128,184 people live here, 4th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $940 in 72901 (Fort Smith) and $1,180 in 72916 (Fort Smith), with the 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72901 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72902 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72903 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72904 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72905 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72906 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72908 | Fort Smith | $980 | +4.6% |
| 72913 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72914 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72916 | Fort Smith | $1,180 | +25.9% |
| 72917 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72918 | Fort Smith | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72919 | Fort Smith | $937County rate | — |
| 72923 | Barling | $1,070 | +14.2% |
| 72936 | Greenwood | $950 | +1.4% |
| 72937 | Hackett | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72938 | Hartford | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72940 | Huntington | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72941 | Lavaca | $940 | +0.3% |
| 72945 | Midland | $1,050 | +12.1% |
Counties sharing the Fort Smith metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $937 two-bedroom figure as Sebastian.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Sebastian.
Crawford County
19 mi · 60,593 people
$937
same rate
Franklin County
28 mi · 17,160 people
$880
-6%
Scott County
36 mi · 9,871 people
$880
-6%
Logan County
40 mi · 21,247 people
$880
-6%
Washington County
51 mi · 247,331 people
$1,347
+44%
Johnson County
53 mi · 25,925 people
$884
-6%
Yell County
58 mi · 20,342 people
$880
-6%
Madison County
59 mi · 16,737 people
$1,347
+44%
Questions people ask
$937 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $683 for a studio, $714 for one bedroom, $1,266 for three and $1,532 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 Sebastian actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Sebastian for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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