How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Elkhart County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,128 to $1,378. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Elkhart County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Elkhart those run from $1,170 to $1,340 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Elkhart County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Indiana figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in Elkhart County, Indiana (FY 2027)

HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Elkhart County is $1,253 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,253

+5.9% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,128–$1,378

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$50,120

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Indiana

24th of 92

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	$1,008	$907–$1,109	$40,320	$19.38/hr	+4.1%
1 bedroom	$1,048	$943–$1,153	$41,920	$20.15/hr	+5.6%
2 bedroom	$1,253	$1,128–$1,378	$50,120	$24.10/hr	+5.9%
3 bedroom	$1,653	$1,488–$1,818	$66,120	$31.79/hr	+6.4%
4 bedroom	$1,752	$1,577–$1,927	$70,080	$33.69/hr	+10.8%

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	$2,015	$1,814–$2,217
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,278	$2,050–$2,506
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,540	$2,286–$2,794
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,803	$2,523–$3,083

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 Elkhart actually rent for?

Search any address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart somewhere between $1,128 and $1,378. 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.

$1,253 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $50,120 a year. Put another way, $24 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%$1,128	Voucher pays at 100%$1,253	Voucher pays at 110%$1,378
$2,500	$750	$378	$503	$628
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$53	$178

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 6% from FY 2026 ($1,183) to FY 2027 ($1,253). Since FY 2020 it's up 53% in total, about 6.3% a year. The Indiana median moved up 8% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$532	$630	$817	$1,029	$1,129	—
FY 2021	$545	$640	$825	$1,047	$1,119	+1.0%
FY 2022	$597	$673	$865	$1,107	$1,173	+4.8%
FY 2023	$734	$770	$986	$1,261	$1,325	+14.0%
FY 2024	$849	$879	$1,102	$1,415	$1,468	+11.8%
FY 2025	$853	$869	$1,055	$1,374	$1,399	-4.3%
FY 2026	$968	$992	$1,183	$1,553	$1,581	+12.1%
FY 2027In effect	$1,008	$1,048	$1,253	$1,653	$1,752	+5.9%

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 Elkhart, that runs from $1,008 for a studio up to $1,752 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Elkhart is its own HUD metro area (Elkhart-Goshen, IN), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among Indiana's 92 counties, Elkhart ranks 24th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 15% above the state median of $1,086 and about 18% above the national median county at $1,063. About 207,132 people live here, 6th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,170 in 46517 (Elkhart) and $1,340 in 46540 (Middlebury), with the 13 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
46507	Bristol	$1,280	+2.2%
46514	Elkhart	$1,320	+5.3%
46515	Elkhart	$1,250	-0.2%
46516	Elkhart	$1,230	-1.8%
46517	Elkhart	$1,170	-6.6%
46526	Goshen	$1,330	+6.1%
46527	Goshen	$1,250	-0.2%
46528	Goshen	$1,270	+1.4%
46540	Middlebury	$1,340	+6.9%
46543	Millersburg	$1,270	+1.4%
46550	Nappanee	$1,170	-6.6%
46553	New Paris	$1,230	-1.8%
46573	Wakarusa	$1,290	+3.0%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Elkhart.

St. Joseph County

19 mi · 273,040 people

$1,276

+2%

Kosciusko County

25 mi · 80,442 people

$1,162

-7%

LaGrange County

26 mi · 40,805 people

$1,039

-17%

Marshall County

28 mi · 46,284 people

$1,088

-13%

Noble County

28 mi · 47,495 people

$1,023

-18%

Whitley County

37 mi · 34,618 people

$1,248

same rate

Fulton County

44 mi · 20,312 people

$1,034

-17%

Steuben County

45 mi · 34,726 people

$1,102

-12%

Questions people ask

$1,253 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,008 for a studio, $1,048 for one bedroom, $1,653 for three and $1,752 for four.

Tools for this county

All Indiana counties All states

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