HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Ford County, Illinois (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Ford County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $916 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Ford keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$916
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$824 to $1,008
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$36,640
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Illinois
70th of 102
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Ford moves to $930. That's up 2%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Ford actually rent for?
Search any address in Ford for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $694 | $625 to $763 | $27,760 | $13.35/hr | +16.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $698 | $628 to $768 | $27,920 | $13.42/hr | +5.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $916 | $824 to $1,008 | $36,640 | $17.62/hr | +5.3% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,274 | $1,147 to $1,401 | $50,960 | $24.50/hr | +4.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,300 | $1,170 to $1,430 | $52,000 | $25.00/hr | +6.6% |
5 to 8 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 | $1,495 | $1,346 to $1,645 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,690 | $1,521 to $1,859 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,885 | $1,697 to $2,074 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,080 | $1,872 to $2,288 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
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 Ford, that runs from $694 for a studio up to $1,300 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Ford is its own HUD metro area (Ford County, IL), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Illinois's 102 counties, Ford ranks 70th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 4% below the state median of $953 and about 10% below the national median county at $1,018. About 13,484 people live here, 78th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $920 in 60952 (Melvin) and $1,130 in 60919 (Cabery), with the 9 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.
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 Ford somewhere between $824 and $1,008. 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.
$916 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $36,640 a year. Put another way, $18 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom, assuming the rent equals the payment standard. Tenant pays 30% of monthly income, HUD's housing assistance payment covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | HAP at 90% ($824) | HAP at 100% ($916) | HAP at 110% ($1,008) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $74 | $166 | $258 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2025 ($870) to FY 2026 ($916). Since FY 2020 it's up 6% in total, about 1.0% a year. The Illinois median moved up 6% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $725 | $730 | $862 | $1,108 | $1,305 | — |
| FY 2021 | $734 | $739 | $868 | $1,108 | $1,230 | +0.7% |
| FY 2022 | $661 | $666 | $782 | $998 | $1,107 | -9.9% |
| FY 2023 | $595 | $607 | $792 | $964 | $1,064 | +1.3% |
| FY 2024 | $553 | $614 | $807 | $1,071 | $1,075 | +1.9% |
| FY 2025 | $597 | $663 | $870 | $1,219 | $1,219 | +7.8% |
| FY 2026 | $694 | $698 | $916 | $1,274 | $1,300 | +5.3% |
| FY 2027 | $706 | $711 | $930 | $1,288 | $1,399 | +1.5% |
Nearby counties
Iroquois County
$91623 mi · pop 27,043
Livingston County
$1,01825 mi · pop 35,771
McLean County
$1,30235 mi · pop 171,284
Champaign County
$1,12236 mi · pop 206,525
Kankakee County
$1,32637 mi · pop 107,421
Vermilion County
$97442 mi · pop 74,113
Grundy County
$1,45943 mi · pop 52,624
De Witt County
$1,03648 mi · pop 15,535
Questions people ask
$916 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $694 for a studio, $698 for one bedroom, $1,274 for three and $1,300 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Look up any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count.
Section 8 rent calculator
Work out the 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
See what income a household needs for a given rent.
What does a rental in Ford actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Ford for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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