HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in St. Clair County, Illinois (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Clair County is $1,218 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,218
+0.2% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,096–$1,340
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$48,720
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Illinois
17th of 102
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in St. Clair moves to $1,349. That's up 11%. 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 | $955 | $860–$1,051 | $38,200 | $18.37/hr | +0.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $995 | $896–$1,095 | $39,800 | $19.13/hr | +1.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,218 | $1,096–$1,340 | $48,720 | $23.42/hr | +0.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,568 | $1,411–$1,725 | $62,720 | $30.15/hr | -0.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,812 | $1,631–$1,993 | $72,480 | $34.85/hr | +0.3% |
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 | $2,084 | $1,876–$2,292 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,356 | $2,120–$2,592 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,627 | $2,364–$2,890 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,899 | $2,609–$3,189 |
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 St. Clair actually rent for?
Search any address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair somewhere between $1,096 and $1,340. 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.
$1,218 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $48,720 a year. Put another way, $23 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%$1,096 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,218 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,340 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $346 | $468 | $590 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $18 | $140 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 0% from FY 2025 ($1,215) to FY 2026 ($1,218). Since FY 2020 it's up 35% in total, about 5.1% a year. The Illinois median moved up 6% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $633 | $701 | $905 | $1,185 | $1,395 | — |
| FY 2021 | $671 | $731 | $938 | $1,224 | $1,440 | +3.6% |
| FY 2022 | $689 | $745 | $947 | $1,230 | $1,449 | +1.0% |
| FY 2023 | $748 | $795 | $999 | $1,294 | $1,512 | +5.5% |
| FY 2024 | $928 | $972 | $1,209 | $1,565 | $1,818 | +21.0% |
| FY 2025 | $951 | $984 | $1,215 | $1,570 | $1,806 | +0.5% |
| FY 2026In effect | $955 | $995 | $1,218 | $1,568 | $1,812 | +0.2% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,064 | $1,104 | $1,349 | $1,731 | $1,997 | +10.8% |
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 St. Clair, that runs from $955 for a studio up to $1,812 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 St. Clair in with 13 other counties in the St. Louis metro, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, St. Louis city among them, and every one of them gets $1,218 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, St. Clair ranks 17th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 28% above the state median of $953 and about 20% above the national median county at $1,018. About 256,791 people live here, 9th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $990 in 62059 (Lovejoy) and $1,830 in 62225 (Scott Air Force Base), with the 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62059 | Lovejoy | $990 | -18.7% |
| 62071 | National Stock Yards | $1,190 | -2.3% |
| 62201 | East Saint Louis | $990 | -18.7% |
| 62202 | East Saint Louis | $1,190 | -2.3% |
| 62203 | East Saint Louis | $1,130 | -7.2% |
| 62204 | East Saint Louis | $990 | -18.7% |
| 62205 | East Saint Louis | $1,170 | -3.9% |
| 62206 | East Saint Louis | $1,190 | -2.3% |
| 62207 | East Saint Louis | $990 | -18.7% |
| 62208 | Fairview Heights | $1,320 | +8.4% |
| 62220 | Belleville | $1,080 | -11.3% |
| 62221 | Belleville | $1,230 | +1.0% |
| 62222 | Belleville | $1,190 | -2.3% |
| 62223 | Belleville | $1,180 | -3.1% |
| 62225 | Scott Air Force Base | $1,830 | +50.2% |
| 62226 | Belleville | $1,090 | -10.5% |
| 62232 | Caseyville | $1,220 | +0.2% |
| 62239 | Dupo | $1,060 | -13.0% |
| 62240 | East Carondelet | $1,180 | -3.1% |
| 62243 | Freeburg | $1,270 | +4.3% |
| 62254 | Lebanon | $1,340 | +10.0% |
| 62255 | Lenzburg | $1,000 | -17.9% |
| 62257 | Marissa | $990 | -18.7% |
| 62258 | Mascoutah | $1,310 | +7.6% |
| 62260 | Millstadt | $1,300 | +6.7% |
| 62264 | New Athens | $1,110 | -8.9% |
| 62269 | O Fallon | $1,420 | +16.6% |
| 62282 | Saint Libory | $990 | -18.7% |
| 62285 | Smithton | $990 | -18.7% |
| 62289 | Summerfield | $1,010 | -17.1% |
Counties sharing the St. Louis metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,218 two-bedroom figure as St. Clair.
St. Louis County
MO · 999,703 people
$1,218
St. Charles County
MO · 406,262 people
$1,218
St. Louis city
MO · 298,018 people
$1,218
Madison County
265,512 people
$1,218
Jefferson County
MO · 226,984 people
$1,218
Franklin County
MO · 104,858 people
$1,218
Lincoln County
MO · 60,172 people
$1,218
Clinton County
36,998 people
$1,218
Warren County
MO · 35,729 people
$1,218
Monroe County
34,905 people
$1,218
Jersey County
21,462 people
$1,218
Calhoun County
4,472 people
$1,218
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to St. Clair.
Monroe County
19 mi · 34,905 people
$1,218
same rate
Madison County
22 mi · 265,512 people
$1,218
same rate
Clinton County
27 mi · 36,998 people
$1,218
same rate
Randolph County
33 mi · 30,413 people
$916
-25%
Washington County
37 mi · 13,781 people
$916
-25%
Bond County
39 mi · 16,750 people
$916
-25%
Jersey County
42 mi · 21,462 people
$1,218
same rate
Perry County
45 mi · 20,996 people
$916
-25%
Questions people ask
$1,218 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $955 for a studio, $995 for one bedroom, $1,568 for three and $1,812 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 St. Clair actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. Clair for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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