HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Clay County, Florida (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Clay County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,658 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Clay keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,658
-4.2% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,492–$1,824
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$66,320
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Florida
25th of 67
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Clay moves to $1,694. That's up 2%. 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 | $1,355 | $1,220–$1,491 | $54,200 | $26.06/hr | -1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,382 | $1,244–$1,520 | $55,280 | $26.58/hr | -5.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,658 | $1,492–$1,824 | $66,320 | $31.88/hr | -4.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,043 | $1,839–$2,247 | $81,720 | $39.29/hr | -5.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,561 | $2,305–$2,817 | $102,440 | $49.25/hr | -6.5% |
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 | $2,945 | $2,651–$3,240 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,329 | $2,996–$3,662 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,713 | $3,342–$4,084 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,098 | $3,688–$4,508 |
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 Clay 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 Clay somewhere between $1,492 and $1,824. 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.
$1,658 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $66,320 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%$1,492 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,658 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,824 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $742 | $908 | $1,074 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $292 | $458 | $624 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 4% from FY 2025 ($1,730) to FY 2026 ($1,658). Since FY 2020 it's up 57% in total, about 7.8% a year. The Florida median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $700 | $872 | $1,059 | $1,391 | $1,777 | — |
| FY 2021 | $746 | $921 | $1,113 | $1,455 | $1,852 | +5.1% |
| FY 2022 | $827 | $995 | $1,188 | $1,542 | $1,948 | +6.7% |
| FY 2023 | $954 | $1,102 | $1,303 | $1,676 | $2,123 | +9.7% |
| FY 2024 | $1,240 | $1,354 | $1,604 | $2,027 | $2,579 | +23.1% |
| FY 2025 | $1,381 | $1,454 | $1,730 | $2,163 | $2,739 | +7.9% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,355 | $1,382 | $1,658 | $2,043 | $2,561 | -4.2% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,401 | $1,421 | $1,694 | $2,077 | $2,594 | +2.2% |
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 Clay, that runs from $1,355 for a studio up to $2,561 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Clay in with 3 other counties in the Jacksonville metro, Duval County, St. Johns County, Nassau County among them, and every one of them gets $1,658 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Florida's 67 counties, Clay ranks 25th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 13% above the state median of $1,471 and about 63% above the national median county at $1,018. About 219,650 people live here, 25th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,230 in 32656 (Keystone Heights) and $2,310 in 32003 (Fleming Island), with the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32003 | Fleming Island | $2,310 | +39.3% |
| 32006 | Fleming Island | $1,720 | +3.7% |
| 32030 | Doctors Inlet | $1,658County rate | — |
| 32043 | Green Cove Springs | $1,630 | -1.7% |
| 32050 | Middleburg | $1,720 | +3.7% |
| 32065 | Orange Park | $1,930 | +16.4% |
| 32067 | Orange Park | $1,720 | +3.7% |
| 32068 | Middleburg | $1,670 | +0.7% |
| 32073 | Orange Park | $1,640 | -1.1% |
| 32079 | Penney Farms | $2,010 | +21.2% |
| 32160 | Lake Geneva | $1,720 | +3.7% |
| 32656 | Keystone Heights | $1,230 | -25.8% |
Counties sharing the Jacksonville metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,658 two-bedroom figure as Clay.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Clay.
Bradford County
22 mi · 27,816 people
$1,120
-32%
Duval County
22 mi · 995,708 people
$1,658
same rate
St. Johns County
24 mi · 278,722 people
$1,658
same rate
Union County
29 mi · 15,524 people
$1,132
-32%
Baker County
31 mi · 27,969 people
$1,103
-33%
Nassau County
40 mi · 91,538 people
$1,658
same rate
Alachua County
41 mi · 279,729 people
$1,493
-10%
Putnam County
44 mi · 73,604 people
$1,155
-30%
Questions people ask
$1,658 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,355 for a studio, $1,382 for one bedroom, $2,043 for three and $2,561 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 Clay actually go for?
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