HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Elkhart County, Indiana (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Elkhart County is $1,183 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,183
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,065 to $1,301
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$47,320
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Indiana
24th of 92
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Elkhart moves to $1,253. That's up 6%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
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.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $968 | $871 to $1,065 | $38,720 | $18.62/hr | +13.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $992 | $893 to $1,091 | $39,680 | $19.08/hr | +14.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,183 | $1,065 to $1,301 | $47,320 | $22.75/hr | +12.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,553 | $1,398 to $1,708 | $62,120 | $29.87/hr | +13.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,581 | $1,423 to $1,739 | $63,240 | $30.40/hr | +13.0% |
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 | $1,818 | $1,636 to $2,000 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,055 | $1,850 to $2,261 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,292 | $2,063 to $2,521 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,530 | $2,277 to $2,783 |
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 Elkhart, that runs from $968 for a studio up to $1,581 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 17% above the state median of $1,009 and about 16% above the national median county at $1,018. About 206,841 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 $1,060 in 46517 (Elkhart) and $1,250 in 46526 (Goshen), 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 | $1,220 | +3.1% |
| 46514 | Elkhart | $1,240 | +4.8% |
| 46515 | Elkhart | $1,180 | -0.3% |
| 46516 | Elkhart | $1,150 | -2.8% |
| 46517 | Elkhart | $1,060 | -10.4% |
| 46526 | Goshen | $1,250 | +5.7% |
| 46527 | Goshen | $1,180 | -0.3% |
| 46528 | Goshen | $1,220 | +3.1% |
| 46540 | Middlebury | $1,250 | +5.7% |
| 46543 | Millersburg | $1,170 | -1.1% |
| 46550 | Nappanee | $1,080 | -8.7% |
| 46553 | New Paris | $1,090 | -7.9% |
| 46573 | Wakarusa | $1,240 | +4.8% |
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 $1,065 and $1,301. 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.
$1,183 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $47,320 a year. Put another way, $23 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% ($1,065) | HAP at 100% ($1,183) | HAP at 110% ($1,301) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $315 | $433 | $551 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $101 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 12% from FY 2025 ($1,055) to FY 2026 ($1,183). Since FY 2020 it's up 45% in total, about 6.4% a year. The Indiana median moved up 2% over the same year.
| 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 2027 | $1,008 | $1,048 | $1,253 | $1,653 | $1,752 | +5.9% |
Nearby counties
St. Joseph County
$1,29219 mi · pop 272,388
Kosciusko County
$1,14225 mi · pop 80,442
LaGrange County
$97726 mi · pop 40,364
Marshall County
$1,00828 mi · pop 46,208
Noble County
$96728 mi · pop 47,431
Whitley County
$1,11337 mi · pop 34,259
Fulton County
$96244 mi · pop 20,420
Steuben County
$1,03645 mi · pop 34,507
Questions people ask
$1,183 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $968 for a studio, $992 for one bedroom, $1,553 for three and $1,581 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 Elkhart actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Elkhart for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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