HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Kern County, California (FY 2027)
$1,656 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Kern County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Kern is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,656
+11.7% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,490–$1,822
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$66,240
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in California
32nd 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 | $1,265 | $1,139–$1,392 | $50,600 | $24.33/hr | +11.7% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,273 | $1,146–$1,400 | $50,920 | $24.48/hr | +11.7% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,656 | $1,490–$1,822 | $66,240 | $31.85/hr | +11.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,293 | $2,064–$2,522 | $91,720 | $44.10/hr | +11.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,768 | $2,491–$3,045 | $110,720 | $53.23/hr | +11.3% |
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 | $3,183 | $2,865–$3,501 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,598 | $3,238–$3,958 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,014 | $3,613–$4,415 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,429 | $3,986–$4,872 |
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 Kern actually rent for?
Search any address in Kern 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 Kern somewhere between $1,490 and $1,822. 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.
$1,656 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $66,240 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%$1,490 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,656 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,822 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $740 | $906 | $1,072 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $290 | $456 | $622 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 12% from FY 2026 ($1,483) to FY 2027 ($1,656). Since FY 2020 it's up 75% in total, about 8.3% 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 | $711 | $726 | $946 | $1,365 | $1,624 | — |
| FY 2021 | $734 | $743 | $970 | $1,388 | $1,679 | +2.5% |
| FY 2022 | $763 | $772 | $1,013 | $1,439 | $1,734 | +4.4% |
| FY 2023 | $863 | $869 | $1,137 | $1,616 | $1,937 | +12.2% |
| FY 2024 | $960 | $967 | $1,258 | $1,773 | $2,135 | +10.6% |
| FY 2025 | $1,058 | $1,064 | $1,380 | $1,934 | $2,317 | +9.7% |
| FY 2026 | $1,132 | $1,140 | $1,483 | $2,062 | $2,488 | +7.5% |
| FY 2027In effect | $1,265 | $1,273 | $1,656 | $2,293 | $2,768 | +11.7% |
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 Kern, that runs from $1,265 for a studio up to $2,768 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Kern is its own HUD metro area (Bakersfield-Delano, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among California's 58 counties, Kern ranks 32nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 4% below the state median of $1,725 and about 56% above the national median county at $1,063. About 915,075 people live here, 11th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,340 in 93205 (Bodfish) and $2,480 in 93222 (Pine Mountain Club), with the 64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93203 | Arvin | $1,490 | -10.0% |
| 93205 | Bodfish | $1,340 | -19.1% |
| 93206 | Buttonwillow | $1,430 | -13.6% |
| 93215 | Delano | $1,510 | -8.8% |
| 93216 | Delano | $1,656County rate | — |
| 93220 | Edison | $1,660 | +0.2% |
| 93222 | Pine Mountain Club | $2,480 | +49.8% |
| 93224 | Fellows | $1,560 | -5.8% |
| 93225 | Frazier Park | $1,850 | +11.7% |
| 93226 | Glennville | $1,510 | -8.8% |
| 93238 | Kernville | $1,420 | -14.3% |
| 93240 | Lake Isabella | $1,460 | -11.8% |
| 93241 | Lamont | $1,340 | -19.1% |
| 93243 | Lebec | $2,110 | +27.4% |
| 93249 | Lost Hills | $1,340 | -19.1% |
| 93250 | Mc Farland | $1,460 | -11.8% |
| 93251 | Mc Kittrick | $1,440 | -13.0% |
| 93252 | Maricopa | $2,190 | +32.2% |
| 93255 | Onyx | $1,340 | -19.1% |
| 93263 | Shafter | $1,670 | +0.8% |
| 93268 | Taft | $1,340 | -19.1% |
| 93276 | Tupman | $1,340 | -19.1% |
| 93280 | Wasco | $1,410 | -14.9% |
| 93283 | Weldon | $1,400 | -15.5% |
| 93285 | Wofford Heights | $1,410 | -14.9% |
| 93287 | Woody | $1,670 | +0.8% |
| 93301 | Bakersfield | $1,490 | -10.0% |
| 93302 | Bakersfield | $1,660 | +0.2% |
| 93303 | Bakersfield | $1,660 | +0.2% |
| 93304 | Bakersfield | $1,590 | -4.0% |
| 93305 | Bakersfield | $1,530 | -7.6% |
| 93306 | Bakersfield | $1,700 | +2.7% |
| 93307 | Bakersfield | $1,550 | -6.4% |
| 93308 | Bakersfield | $1,790 | +8.1% |
| 93309 | Bakersfield | $1,810 | +9.3% |
| 93311 | Bakersfield | $2,430 | +46.7% |
| 93312 | Bakersfield | $2,480 | +49.8% |
| 93313 | Bakersfield | $2,420 | +46.1% |
| 93314 | Bakersfield | $2,480 | +49.8% |
| 93380 | Bakersfield | $1,660 | +0.2% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Kern.
Tulare County
69 mi · 478,693 people
$1,450
-12%
Ventura County
77 mi · 837,469 people
$2,424
+46%
Kings County
84 mi · 153,298 people
$1,512
-9%
Santa Barbara County
88 mi · 443,701 people
$3,106
+88%
Los Angeles County
91 mi · 9,808,667 people
$2,964
+79%
Inyo County
103 mi · 18,739 people
$1,465
-12%
San Luis Obispo County
110 mi · 281,555 people
$2,720
+64%
Fresno County
111 mi · 1,016,725 people
$1,685
+2%
Questions people ask
$1,656 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,265 for a studio, $1,273 for one bedroom, $2,293 for three and $2,768 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 Kern actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Kern for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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