HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in McHenry County, Illinois (FY 2026)
$1,781 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in McHenry County, and it's the baseline every voucher in McHenry is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,781
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,603 to $1,959
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$71,240
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Illinois
6th of 102
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in McHenry moves to $2,011. That's up 13%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in McHenry actually rent for?
Search any address in McHenry 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 | $1,480 | $1,332 to $1,628 | $59,200 | $28.46/hr | +1.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,581 | $1,423 to $1,739 | $63,240 | $30.40/hr | +1.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,781 | $1,603 to $1,959 | $71,240 | $34.25/hr | +1.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,294 | $2,065 to $2,523 | $91,760 | $44.12/hr | +1.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,653 | $2,388 to $2,918 | $106,120 | $51.02/hr | -0.2% |
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 | $3,051 | $2,746 to $3,356 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,449 | $3,104 to $3,794 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,847 | $3,462 to $4,232 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,245 | $3,821 to $4,670 |
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 McHenry, that runs from $1,480 for a studio up to $2,653 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 McHenry in with 5 other counties in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metro, Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County among them, and every one of them gets $1,781 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, McHenry ranks 6th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 87% above the state median of $953 and about 75% above the national median county at $1,018. About 311,133 people live here, 6th in the state.
Counties sharing the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,320 in 60152 (Marengo) and $2,670 in 60021 (Fox River Grove), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60001 | Alden | $1,781County rate | — |
| 60012 | Crystal Lake | $2,000 | +12.3% |
| 60013 | Cary | $1,940 | +8.9% |
| 60014 | Crystal Lake | $1,810 | +1.6% |
| 60021 | Fox River Grove | $2,670 | +49.9% |
| 60033 | Harvard | $1,450 | -18.6% |
| 60034 | Hebron | $1,400 | -21.4% |
| 60039 | Crystal Lake | $1,720 | -3.4% |
| 60050 | Mchenry | $1,900 | +6.7% |
| 60051 | Mchenry | $2,040 | +14.5% |
| 60071 | Richmond | $1,480 | -16.9% |
| 60072 | Ringwood | $1,520 | -14.7% |
| 60081 | Spring Grove | $1,510 | -15.2% |
| 60097 | Wonder Lake | $1,640 | -7.9% |
| 60098 | Woodstock | $1,530 | -14.1% |
| 60102 | Algonquin | $2,420 | +35.9% |
| 60142 | Huntley | $1,910 | +7.2% |
| 60152 | Marengo | $1,320 | -25.9% |
| 60156 | Lake In The Hills | $2,100 | +17.9% |
| 60180 | Union | $1,600 | -10.2% |
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 McHenry somewhere between $1,603 and $1,959. 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.
$1,781 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $71,240 a year. Put another way, $34 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% ($1,603) | HAP at 100% ($1,781) | HAP at 110% ($1,959) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $853 | $1,031 | $1,209 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $403 | $581 | $759 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2025 ($1,761) to FY 2026 ($1,781). Since FY 2020 it's up 43% in total, about 6.1% 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 | $956 | $1,076 | $1,248 | $1,585 | $1,888 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,012 | $1,122 | $1,299 | $1,649 | $1,969 | +4.1% |
| FY 2022 | $1,059 | $1,161 | $1,340 | $1,697 | $2,018 | +3.2% |
| FY 2023 | $1,158 | $1,255 | $1,440 | $1,827 | $2,172 | +7.5% |
| FY 2024 | $1,399 | $1,507 | $1,714 | $2,182 | $2,583 | +19.0% |
| FY 2025 | $1,458 | $1,560 | $1,761 | $2,262 | $2,657 | +2.7% |
| FY 2026 | $1,480 | $1,581 | $1,781 | $2,294 | $2,653 | +1.1% |
| FY 2027 | $1,678 | $1,780 | $2,011 | $2,586 | $2,954 | +12.9% |
Nearby counties
Lake County
$1,78122 mi · pop 713,159
Boone County
$1,17523 mi · pop 53,459
Kane County
$1,78126 mi · pop 517,254
DeKalb County
$1,37334 mi · pop 100,686
DuPage County
$1,78135 mi · pop 930,559
Winnebago County
$1,17538 mi · pop 284,591
Cook County
$1,78143 mi · pop 5,225,367
Kendall County
$2,05046 mi · pop 132,795
Questions people ask
$1,781 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,480 for a studio, $1,581 for one bedroom, $2,294 for three and $2,653 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 McHenry actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in McHenry for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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