HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in El Paso County, Colorado (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in El Paso County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,735 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in El Paso keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,735
-2.4% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,562–$1,909
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$69,400
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Colorado
16th of 64
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in El Paso moves to $1,621. That's down 7%. 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 | $1,196 | $1,076–$1,316 | $47,840 | $23.00/hr | -1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,464 | $1,318–$1,610 | $58,560 | $28.15/hr | -0.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,735 | $1,562–$1,909 | $69,400 | $33.37/hr | -2.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,413 | $2,172–$2,654 | $96,520 | $46.40/hr | -3.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,744 | $2,470–$3,018 | $109,760 | $52.77/hr | -3.6% |
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 | $3,156 | $2,840–$3,472 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,567 | $3,210–$3,924 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,979 | $3,581–$4,377 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,390 | $3,951–$4,829 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Colorado Springs are asking $1,726. HUD says $1,735.
The two are within a couple percent of each other. Median asking rent across 19 Colorado Springs ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
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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 El Paso somewhere between $1,562 and $1,909. 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.
$1,735 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $69,400 a year. Put another way, $33 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%$1,562 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,735 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,909 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $812 | $985 | $1,159 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $362 | $535 | $709 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 2% from FY 2025 ($1,778) to FY 2026 ($1,735). Since FY 2020 it's up 52% in total, about 7.2% a year. The Colorado median held flat over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $743 | $897 | $1,141 | $1,646 | $2,003 | — |
| FY 2021 | $797 | $949 | $1,200 | $1,717 | $2,078 | +5.2% |
| FY 2022 | $885 | $1,033 | $1,302 | $1,849 | $2,229 | +8.5% |
| FY 2023 | $1,020 | $1,183 | $1,484 | $2,109 | $2,528 | +14.0% |
| FY 2024 | $1,190 | $1,408 | $1,734 | $2,444 | $2,875 | +16.8% |
| FY 2025 | $1,219 | $1,472 | $1,778 | $2,491 | $2,846 | +2.5% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,196 | $1,464 | $1,735 | $2,413 | $2,744 | -2.4% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,129 | $1,380 | $1,621 | $2,245 | $2,574 | -6.6% |
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 El Paso, that runs from $1,196 for a studio up to $2,744 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
El Paso is its own HUD metro area (Colorado Springs, CO), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Colorado's 64 counties, El Paso ranks 16th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 39% above the state median of $1,247 and about 70% above the national median county at $1,018. About 730,323 people live here, 1st in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,120 in 80833 (Rush) and $2,600 in 80927 (Colorado Springs), with the 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80132 | Monument | $2,320 | +33.7% |
| 80133 | Palmer Lake | $1,810 | +4.3% |
| 80808 | Calhan | $1,130 | -34.9% |
| 80809 | Cascade | $2,010 | +15.9% |
| 80817 | Fountain | $1,940 | +11.8% |
| 80819 | Green Mountain Falls | $1,530 | -11.8% |
| 80829 | Manitou Springs | $1,290 | -25.6% |
| 80831 | Peyton | $2,530 | +45.8% |
| 80832 | Ramah | $1,190 | -31.4% |
| 80833 | Rush | $1,120 | -35.4% |
| 80840 | Usaf Academy | $2,320 | +33.7% |
| 80841 | Usaf Academy | $1,740 | +0.3% |
| 80864 | Yoder | $1,610 | -7.2% |
| 80901 | Colorado Springs | $1,740 | +0.3% |
| 80902 | Colorado Springs | $2,200 | +26.8% |
| 80903 | Colorado Springs | $1,620 | -6.6% |
| 80904 | Colorado Springs | $1,530 | -11.8% |
| 80905 | Colorado Springs | $1,540 | -11.2% |
| 80906 | Colorado Springs | $1,880 | +8.4% |
| 80907 | Colorado Springs | $1,430 | -17.6% |
| 80908 | Colorado Springs | $1,900 | +9.5% |
| 80909 | Colorado Springs | $1,500 | -13.5% |
| 80910 | Colorado Springs | $1,590 | -8.4% |
| 80911 | Colorado Springs | $1,810 | +4.3% |
| 80912 | Colorado Springs | $1,740 | +0.3% |
| 80913 | Colorado Springs | $2,080 | +19.9% |
| 80914 | Colorado Springs | $2,110 | +21.6% |
| 80915 | Colorado Springs | $1,570 | -9.5% |
| 80916 | Colorado Springs | $1,650 | -4.9% |
| 80917 | Colorado Springs | $1,550 | -10.7% |
| 80918 | Colorado Springs | $1,790 | +3.2% |
| 80919 | Colorado Springs | $1,910 | +10.1% |
| 80920 | Colorado Springs | $2,150 | +23.9% |
| 80921 | Colorado Springs | $2,310 | +33.1% |
| 80922 | Colorado Springs | $2,130 | +22.8% |
| 80923 | Colorado Springs | $2,140 | +23.3% |
| 80924 | Colorado Springs | $2,400 | +38.3% |
| 80925 | Colorado Springs | $2,430 | +40.1% |
| 80926 | Colorado Springs | $1,710 | -1.4% |
| 80927 | Colorado Springs | $2,600 | +49.9% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to El Paso.
Teller County
24 mi · 24,758 people
$1,493
-14%
Elbert County
36 mi · 26,457 people
$2,089
+20%
Douglas County
41 mi · 360,206 people
$2,089
+20%
Pueblo County
47 mi · 168,135 people
$1,269
-27%
Fremont County
48 mi · 49,107 people
$1,244
-28%
Arapahoe County
55 mi · 654,453 people
$2,089
+20%
Park County
59 mi · 17,597 people
$2,089
+20%
Custer County
60 mi · 4,885 people
$1,112
-36%
Questions people ask
$1,735 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,196 for a studio, $1,464 for one bedroom, $2,413 for three and $2,744 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 El Paso actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in El Paso for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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