How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Fresno County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,517 to $1,854. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Fresno County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Fresno those run from $1,500 to $2,620 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Fresno County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new California figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in Fresno County, California (FY 2027)

A two-bedroom in Fresno County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,685 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Fresno keys off that figure.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,685

+1.3% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,517–$1,854

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$67,400

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in California

30th of 58

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	$1,354	$1,219–$1,489	$54,160	$26.04/hr	+0.5%
1 bedroom	$1,363	$1,227–$1,499	$54,520	$26.21/hr	+0.6%
2 bedroom	$1,685	$1,517–$1,854	$67,400	$32.40/hr	+1.3%
3 bedroom	$2,333	$2,100–$2,566	$93,320	$44.87/hr	+0.8%
4 bedroom	$2,671	$2,404–$2,938	$106,840	$51.37/hr	+0.4%

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	$3,072	$2,765–$3,379
6 bedroom Estimate	$3,472	$3,125–$3,819
7 bedroom Estimate	$3,873	$3,486–$4,260
8 bedroom Estimate	$4,274	$3,847–$4,701

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

Two-bedrooms in Fresno are asking $1,509. HUD says $1,685.

That's 10% below the county FMR. Median asking rent across 15 Fresno ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.

Fresno rents by ZIP code Section 8 vs market rent, 65 metros

No card needed

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 Fresno somewhere between $1,517 and $1,854. 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.

$1,685 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $67,400 a year. Put another way, $32 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%$1,517	Voucher pays at 100%$1,685	Voucher pays at 110%$1,854
$2,500	$750	$767	$935	$1,104
$4,000	$1,200	$317	$485	$654

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2026 ($1,664) to FY 2027 ($1,685). Since FY 2020 it's up 72% in total, about 8.1% a year. The California median moved up 2% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$691	$787	$980	$1,395	$1,621	—
FY 2021	$795	$851	$1,064	$1,509	$1,747	+8.6%
FY 2022	$899	$904	$1,137	$1,607	$1,847	+6.9%
FY 2023	$991	$997	$1,258	$1,772	$2,029	+10.6%
FY 2024	$1,149	$1,157	$1,443	$2,033	$2,330	+14.7%
FY 2025	$1,210	$1,217	$1,505	$2,109	$2,415	+4.3%
FY 2026	$1,347	$1,355	$1,664	$2,314	$2,660	+10.6%
FY 2027In effect	$1,354	$1,363	$1,685	$2,333	$2,671	+1.3%

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 Fresno, that runs from $1,354 for a studio up to $2,671 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Fresno is its own HUD metro area (Fresno, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among California's 58 counties, Fresno ranks 30th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 2% below the state median of $1,725 and about 59% above the national median county at $1,063. About 1,016,725 people live here, 10th in the state.

Live asking rents in Fresno

The county FMR next to what landlords are asking in Fresno right now

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,500 in 93234 (Huron) and $2,620 in 93210 (Coalinga), with the 90 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
93210	Coalinga	$2,620	+55.5%
93234	Huron	$1,500	-11.0%
93242	Laton	$1,500	-11.0%
93602	Auberry	$1,800	+6.8%
93605	Big Creek	$1,720	+2.1%
93606	Biola	$1,500	-11.0%
93607	Burrel	$1,685County rate	—
93608	Cantua Creek	$1,500	-11.0%
93609	Caruthers	$1,600	-5.0%
93611	Clovis	$2,530	+50.1%
93612	Clovis	$1,830	+8.6%
93613	Clovis	$1,690	+0.3%
93616	Del Rey	$1,680	-0.3%
93621	Dunlap	$1,530	-9.2%
93622	Firebaugh	$1,500	-11.0%
93624	Five Points	$1,500	-11.0%
93625	Fowler	$1,540	-8.6%
93626	Friant	$2,270	+34.7%
93627	Helm	$1,500	-11.0%
93628	Hume	$1,690	+0.3%
93630	Kerman	$1,610	-4.5%
93631	Kingsburg	$1,500	-11.0%
93634	Lakeshore	$1,780	+5.6%
93640	Mendota	$1,500	-11.0%
93641	Miramonte	$1,670	-0.9%
93642	Mono Hot Springs	$1,690	+0.3%
93646	Orange Cove	$1,500	-11.0%
93648	Parlier	$1,500	-11.0%
93649	Piedra	$1,690	+0.3%
93650	Fresno	$1,550	-8.0%
93651	Prather	$2,330	+38.3%
93652	Raisin City	$1,500	-11.0%
93654	Reedley	$1,570	-6.8%
93656	Riverdale	$1,500	-11.0%
93657	Sanger	$1,510	-10.4%
93660	San Joaquin	$1,500	-11.0%
93662	Selma	$1,550	-8.0%
93664	Shaver Lake	$1,760	+4.5%
93667	Tollhouse	$1,960	+16.3%
93668	Tranquillity	$1,560	-7.4%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Fresno.

Madera County

32 mi · 160,940 people

$1,460

-13%

Kings County

39 mi · 153,298 people

$1,512

-10%

Tulare County

44 mi · 478,693 people

$1,450

-14%

Mariposa County

59 mi · 17,082 people

$1,486

-12%

Merced County

61 mi · 290,201 people

$1,517

-10%

San Benito County

90 mi · 67,290 people

$3,004

+78%

Stanislaus County

91 mi · 553,990 people

$1,803

+7%

Tuolumne County

91 mi · 54,498 people

$1,603

-5%

Questions people ask

$1,685 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,354 for a studio, $1,363 for one bedroom, $2,333 for three and $2,671 for four.

Tools for this county

All California counties All states

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