HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Madera County, California (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Madera County is $1,376 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,376
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,238 to $1,514
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$55,040
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in California
49th of 58
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Madera moves to $1,460. That's up 6%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Madera actually rent for?
Search any address in Madera for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,055 | $950 to $1,161 | $42,200 | $20.29/hr | -4.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,062 | $956 to $1,168 | $42,480 | $20.42/hr | -4.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,376 | $1,238 to $1,514 | $55,040 | $26.46/hr | -4.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,914 | $1,723 to $2,105 | $76,560 | $36.81/hr | -4.7% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,275 | $2,048 to $2,503 | $91,000 | $43.75/hr | -0.8% |
5 to 8 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 | $2,616 | $2,354 to $2,878 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,958 | $2,662 to $3,254 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,299 | $2,969 to $3,629 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,640 | $3,276 to $4,004 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
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 Madera, that runs from $1,055 for a studio up to $2,275 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Madera is its own HUD metro area (Madera County, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among California's 58 counties, Madera ranks 49th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 18% below the state median of $1,687 and about 35% above the national median county at $1,018. About 157,243 people live here, 32nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,290 in 93643 (North Fork) and $1,810 in 93614 (Coarsegold), with the 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93601 | Ahwahnee | $1,560 | +13.4% |
| 93604 | Bass Lake | $1,400 | +1.7% |
| 93610 | Chowchilla | $1,360 | -1.2% |
| 93614 | Coarsegold | $1,810 | +31.5% |
| 93637 | Madera | $1,390 | +1.0% |
| 93638 | Madera | $1,350 | -1.9% |
| 93639 | Madera | $1,380 | +0.3% |
| 93643 | North Fork | $1,290 | -6.3% |
| 93644 | Oakhurst | $1,630 | +18.5% |
| 93645 | O Neals | $1,550 | +12.6% |
| 93653 | Raymond | $1,510 | +9.7% |
| 93669 | Wishon | $1,300 | -5.5% |
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 Madera somewhere between $1,238 and $1,514. 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.
$1,376 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $55,040 a year. Put another way, $26 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom, assuming the rent equals the payment standard. Tenant pays 30% of monthly income, HUD's housing assistance payment covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | HAP at 90% ($1,238) | HAP at 100% ($1,376) | HAP at 110% ($1,514) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $488 | $626 | $764 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $38 | $176 | $314 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 4% from FY 2025 ($1,433) to FY 2026 ($1,376). Since FY 2020 it's up 25% in total, about 3.7% a year. The California median moved up 9% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $833 | $839 | $1,105 | $1,584 | $1,717 | — |
| FY 2021 | $875 | $881 | $1,151 | $1,647 | $1,802 | +4.2% |
| FY 2022 | $913 | $919 | $1,198 | $1,702 | $1,870 | +4.1% |
| FY 2023 | $967 | $973 | $1,258 | $1,784 | $1,971 | +5.0% |
| FY 2024 | $1,083 | $1,090 | $1,432 | $1,998 | $2,208 | +13.8% |
| FY 2025 | $1,099 | $1,106 | $1,433 | $2,008 | $2,293 | +0.1% |
| FY 2026 | $1,055 | $1,062 | $1,376 | $1,914 | $2,275 | -4.0% |
| FY 2027 | $1,264 | $1,272 | $1,460 | $2,022 | $2,440 | +6.1% |
Nearby counties
Mariposa County
$1,45427 mi · pop 17,130
Fresno County
$1,66432 mi · pop 1,008,280
Merced County
$1,50343 mi · pop 282,290
Tuolumne County
$1,58960 mi · pop 54,993
Stanislaus County
$1,75868 mi · pop 552,063
Kings County
$1,46970 mi · pop 152,515
Mono County
$1,67573 mi · pop 13,219
Tulare County
$1,47473 mi · pop 473,446
Questions people ask
$1,376 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,055 for a studio, $1,062 for one bedroom, $1,914 for three and $2,275 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Look up any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count.
Section 8 rent calculator
Work out the 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
See what income a household needs for a given rent.
What does a rental in Madera actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Madera for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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