HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Alexander County, Illinois (FY 2027)
$1,012 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Alexander County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Alexander is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,012
+2.0% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$911–$1,113
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$40,480
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Illinois
39th of 102
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 | $757 | $681–$833 | $30,280 | $14.56/hr | -0.8% |
| 1 bedroom | $833 | $750–$916 | $33,320 | $16.02/hr | +3.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,012 | $911–$1,113 | $40,480 | $19.46/hr | +2.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,401 | $1,261–$1,541 | $56,040 | $26.94/hr | +1.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,692 | $1,523–$1,861 | $67,680 | $32.54/hr | +1.7% |
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 | $1,946 | $1,751–$2,141 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,200 | $1,980–$2,420 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,453 | $2,208–$2,698 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,707 | $2,436–$2,978 |
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 Alexander actually rent for?
Search any address in Alexander for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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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 Alexander somewhere between $911 and $1,113. 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.
$1,012 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,480 a year. Put another way, $19 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%$911 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,012 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,113 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $161 | $262 | $363 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 2% from FY 2026 ($992) to FY 2027 ($1,012). Since FY 2020 it's up 31% in total, about 3.9% a year. The Illinois median moved up 1% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $542 | $587 | $773 | $1,115 | $1,188 | — |
| FY 2021 | $537 | $612 | $807 | $1,155 | $1,216 | +4.4% |
| FY 2022 | $536 | $622 | $807 | $1,146 | $1,248 | 0.0% |
| FY 2023 | $597 | $680 | $871 | $1,238 | $1,372 | +7.9% |
| FY 2024 | $685 | $742 | $933 | $1,315 | $1,540 | +7.1% |
| FY 2025 | $747 | $794 | $985 | $1,380 | $1,654 | +5.6% |
| FY 2026 | $763 | $807 | $992 | $1,380 | $1,664 | +0.7% |
| FY 2027In effect | $757 | $833 | $1,012 | $1,401 | $1,692 | +2.0% |
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 Alexander, that runs from $757 for a studio up to $1,692 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 Alexander in with 2 other counties in the Cape Girardeau metro, Cape Girardeau County, Bollinger County among them, and every one of them gets $1,012 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 Illinois's 102 counties, Alexander ranks 39th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 6% above the state median of $958 and about 5% below the national median county at $1,063. About 4,875 people live here, 98th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $960 in 62914 (Cairo) and $1,050 in 62957 (Mc Clure), with the 7 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.
Counties sharing the Cape Girardeau metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,012 two-bedroom figure as Alexander.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Alexander.
Pulaski County
13 mi · 5,015 people
$930
-8%
Union County
21 mi · 16,997 people
$930
-8%
Johnson County
33 mi · 13,376 people
$930
-8%
Massac County
35 mi · 13,865 people
$993
-2%
Jackson County
42 mi · 53,064 people
$930
-8%
Williamson County
46 mi · 66,876 people
$996
-2%
Pope County
51 mi · 3,739 people
$1,095
+8%
Franklin County
59 mi · 37,323 people
$930
-8%
Questions people ask
$1,012 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $757 for a studio, $833 for one bedroom, $1,401 for three and $1,692 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 Alexander actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Alexander for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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