HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Mesa County, Colorado (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in Mesa County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,282 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Mesa keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,282
+2.6% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,154–$1,410
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$51,280
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Colorado
40th of 64
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 | $893 | $804–$982 | $35,720 | $17.17/hr | +1.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,017 | $915–$1,119 | $40,680 | $19.56/hr | +3.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,282 | $1,154–$1,410 | $51,280 | $24.65/hr | +2.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,775 | $1,598–$1,953 | $71,000 | $34.13/hr | +2.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,143 | $1,929–$2,357 | $85,720 | $41.21/hr | +2.3% |
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 | $2,464 | $2,218–$2,710 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,786 | $2,507–$3,065 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,107 | $2,796–$3,418 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,429 | $3,086–$3,772 |
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 Mesa actually rent for?
Search any address in Mesa for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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 Mesa somewhere between $1,154 and $1,410. 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.
$1,282 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $51,280 a year. Put another way, $25 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%$1,154 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,282 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,410 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $404 | $532 | $660 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $82 | $210 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2026 ($1,249) to FY 2027 ($1,282). Since FY 2020 it's up 24% in total, about 3.1% a year. The Colorado median moved up 10% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $713 | $786 | $1,035 | $1,493 | $1,817 | — |
| FY 2021 | $674 | $772 | $1,018 | $1,457 | $1,763 | -1.6% |
| FY 2022 | $682 | $781 | $1,026 | $1,457 | $1,756 | +0.8% |
| FY 2023 | $713 | $812 | $1,066 | $1,515 | $1,816 | +3.9% |
| FY 2024 | $761 | $865 | $1,123 | $1,583 | $1,906 | +5.3% |
| FY 2025 | $873 | $961 | $1,245 | $1,745 | $2,091 | +10.9% |
| FY 2026 | $881 | $986 | $1,249 | $1,737 | $2,095 | +0.3% |
| FY 2027In effect | $893 | $1,017 | $1,282 | $1,775 | $2,143 | +2.6% |
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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Mesa, that runs from $893 for a studio up to $2,143 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Mesa is its own HUD metro area (Grand Junction, CO), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Colorado's 64 counties, Mesa ranks 40th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 7% below the state median of $1,375 and about 21% above the national median county at $1,063. About 158,601 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 $1,140 in 81520 (Clifton) and $1,750 in 81507 (Grand Junction), with the 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81501 | Grand Junction | $1,260 | -1.7% |
| 81502 | Grand Junction | $1,280 | -0.2% |
| 81503 | Grand Junction | $1,190 | -7.2% |
| 81504 | Grand Junction | $1,540 | +20.1% |
| 81505 | Grand Junction | $1,590 | +24.0% |
| 81506 | Grand Junction | $1,310 | +2.2% |
| 81507 | Grand Junction | $1,750 | +36.5% |
| 81520 | Clifton | $1,140 | -11.1% |
| 81521 | Fruita | $1,610 | +25.6% |
| 81522 | Gateway | $1,280 | -0.2% |
| 81523 | Glade Park | $1,640 | +27.9% |
| 81524 | Loma | $1,510 | +17.8% |
| 81525 | Mack | $1,280 | -0.2% |
| 81526 | Palisade | $1,270 | -0.9% |
| 81527 | Whitewater | $1,320 | +3.0% |
| 81624 | Collbran | $1,150 | -10.3% |
| 81630 | De Beque | $1,450 | +13.1% |
| 81643 | Mesa | $1,260 | -1.7% |
| 81646 | Molina | $1,280 | -0.2% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Mesa.
Delta County
40 mi · 31,598 people
$1,266
-1%
Montrose County
52 mi · 43,807 people
$1,321
+3%
Garfield County
54 mi · 62,479 people
$1,781
+39%
Rio Blanco County
67 mi · 6,544 people
$1,165
-9%
San Miguel County
79 mi · 7,968 people
$1,631
+27%
Ouray County
82 mi · 5,087 people
$1,640
+28%
Pitkin County
88 mi · 16,985 people
$2,597
+103%
Gunnison County
92 mi · 17,241 people
$1,437
+12%
Questions people ask
$1,282 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $893 for a studio, $1,017 for one bedroom, $1,775 for three and $2,143 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 Mesa actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Mesa for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.