HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Merced County, California (FY 2026)
$1,503 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Merced County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Merced is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,503
-0.4% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,353–$1,653
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$60,120
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in California
43rd of 58
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Merced moves to $1,517. That's up 1%. 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 | $1,116 | $1,004–$1,228 | $44,640 | $21.46/hr | +4.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,213 | $1,092–$1,334 | $48,520 | $23.33/hr | -1.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,503 | $1,353–$1,653 | $60,120 | $28.90/hr | -0.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,067 | $1,860–$2,274 | $82,680 | $39.75/hr | -0.7% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,503 | $2,253–$2,753 | $100,120 | $48.13/hr | -1.2% |
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 | $2,878 | $2,590–$3,166 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,254 | $2,929–$3,579 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,629 | $3,266–$3,992 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,005 | $3,605–$4,406 |
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 Merced actually rent for?
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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 Merced somewhere between $1,353 and $1,653. 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.
$1,503 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $60,120 a year. Put another way, $29 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%$1,353 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,503 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,653 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $603 | $753 | $903 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $153 | $303 | $453 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 0% from FY 2025 ($1,509) to FY 2026 ($1,503). Since FY 2020 it's up 59% in total, about 8.0% a year. The California median moved up 9% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $651 | $782 | $947 | $1,366 | $1,652 | — |
| FY 2021 | $724 | $882 | $1,067 | $1,527 | $1,847 | +12.7% |
| FY 2022 | $766 | $914 | $1,120 | $1,591 | $1,917 | +5.0% |
| FY 2023 | $854 | $1,017 | $1,243 | $1,767 | $2,117 | +11.0% |
| FY 2024 | $994 | $1,159 | $1,420 | $1,995 | $2,410 | +14.2% |
| FY 2025 | $1,071 | $1,227 | $1,509 | $2,081 | $2,534 | +6.3% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,116 | $1,213 | $1,503 | $2,067 | $2,503 | -0.4% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,200 | $1,262 | $1,517 | $2,087 | $2,477 | +0.9% |
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 Merced, that runs from $1,116 for a studio up to $2,503 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Merced is its own HUD metro area (Merced, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among California's 58 counties, Merced ranks 43rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 11% below the state median of $1,687 and about 48% above the national median county at $1,018. About 282,290 people live here, 23rd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,360 in 93620 (Dos Palos) and $1,840 in 95348 (Merced), with the 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93620 | Dos Palos | $1,360 | -9.5% |
| 93635 | Los Banos | $1,760 | +17.1% |
| 93636 | Madera | $1,740 | +15.8% |
| 93661 | Santa Rita Park | $1,500 | -0.2% |
| 93665 | South Dos Palos | $1,450 | -3.5% |
| 95301 | Atwater | $1,550 | +3.1% |
| 95303 | Ballico | $1,360 | -9.5% |
| 95312 | Cressey | $1,490 | -0.9% |
| 95315 | Delhi | $1,430 | -4.9% |
| 95317 | El Nido | $1,360 | -9.5% |
| 95322 | Gustine | $1,450 | -3.5% |
| 95324 | Hilmar | $1,810 | +20.4% |
| 95333 | Le Grand | $1,360 | -9.5% |
| 95334 | Livingston | $1,610 | +7.1% |
| 95340 | Merced | $1,400 | -6.9% |
| 95341 | Merced | $1,450 | -3.5% |
| 95343 | Merced | $1,500 | -0.2% |
| 95344 | Merced | $1,500 | -0.2% |
| 95348 | Merced | $1,840 | +22.4% |
| 95365 | Planada | $1,360 | -9.5% |
| 95369 | Snelling | $1,360 | -9.5% |
| 95374 | Stevinson | $1,360 | -9.5% |
| 95388 | Winton | $1,360 | -9.5% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Merced.
Stanislaus County
30 mi · 552,063 people
$1,758
+17%
Mariposa County
41 mi · 17,130 people
$1,454
-3%
Madera County
43 mi · 157,243 people
$1,376
-8%
San Benito County
53 mi · 64,753 people
$2,902
+93%
Tuolumne County
53 mi · 54,993 people
$1,589
+6%
Fresno County
61 mi · 1,008,280 people
$1,664
+11%
San Joaquin County
61 mi · 779,445 people
$1,742
+16%
Calaveras County
65 mi · 45,674 people
$1,542
+3%
Questions people ask
$1,503 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,116 for a studio, $1,213 for one bedroom, $2,067 for three and $2,503 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 Merced actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Merced for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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