HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Lake County, Indiana (FY 2026)
$1,317 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lake County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Lake is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,317
+10.0% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,185–$1,449
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$52,680
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Indiana
13th of 92
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Lake moves to $1,429. That's up 9%. 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 | $959 | $863–$1,055 | $38,360 | $18.44/hr | +11.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,082 | $974–$1,190 | $43,280 | $20.81/hr | +9.8% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,317 | $1,185–$1,449 | $52,680 | $25.33/hr | +10.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,612 | $1,451–$1,773 | $64,480 | $31.00/hr | +9.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,744 | $1,570–$1,918 | $69,760 | $33.54/hr | +9.9% |
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 | $2,006 | $1,805–$2,207 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,267 | $2,040–$2,494 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,529 | $2,276–$2,782 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,790 | $2,511–$3,069 |
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 Lake actually rent for?
Search any address in Lake 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 Lake somewhere between $1,185 and $1,449. 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.
$1,317 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $52,680 a year. Put another way, $25 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%$1,185 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,317 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,449 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $435 | $567 | $699 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $117 | $249 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 10% from FY 2025 ($1,197) to FY 2026 ($1,317). Since FY 2020 it's up 44% in total, about 6.2% a year. The Indiana median moved up 2% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $597 | $746 | $917 | $1,143 | $1,292 | — |
| FY 2021 | $609 | $749 | $923 | $1,148 | $1,301 | +0.7% |
| FY 2022 | $637 | $779 | $959 | $1,185 | $1,338 | +3.9% |
| FY 2023 | $677 | $815 | $1,000 | $1,227 | $1,361 | +4.3% |
| FY 2024 | $869 | $1,027 | $1,254 | $1,539 | $1,672 | +25.4% |
| FY 2025 | $860 | $985 | $1,197 | $1,475 | $1,587 | -4.5% |
| FY 2026In effect | $959 | $1,082 | $1,317 | $1,612 | $1,744 | +10.0% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,117 | $1,176 | $1,429 | $1,739 | $1,898 | +8.5% |
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 Lake, that runs from $959 for a studio up to $1,744 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 Lake in with 2 other counties in the Gary metro, Porter County, Newton County among them, and every one of them gets $1,317 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 Indiana's 92 counties, Lake ranks 13th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 31% above the state median of $1,009 and about 29% above the national median county at $1,018. About 497,682 people live here, 2nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,040 in 46312 (East Chicago) and $1,680 in 46321 (Munster), with the 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46303 | Cedar Lake | $1,410 | +7.1% |
| 46307 | Crown Point | $1,510 | +14.7% |
| 46308 | Crown Point | $1,310 | -0.5% |
| 46311 | Dyer | $1,450 | +10.1% |
| 46312 | East Chicago | $1,040 | -21.0% |
| 46319 | Griffith | $1,340 | +1.7% |
| 46320 | Hammond | $1,130 | -14.2% |
| 46321 | Munster | $1,680 | +27.6% |
| 46322 | Highland | $1,470 | +11.6% |
| 46323 | Hammond | $1,420 | +7.8% |
| 46324 | Hammond | $1,350 | +2.5% |
| 46325 | Hammond | $1,310 | -0.5% |
| 46327 | Hammond | $1,290 | -2.1% |
| 46342 | Hobart | $1,340 | +1.7% |
| 46355 | Leroy | $1,310 | -0.5% |
| 46356 | Lowell | $1,460 | +10.9% |
| 46373 | Saint John | $1,160 | -11.9% |
| 46375 | Schererville | $1,480 | +12.4% |
| 46376 | Schneider | $1,220 | -7.4% |
| 46377 | Shelby | $1,460 | +10.9% |
| 46394 | Whiting | $1,160 | -11.9% |
| 46401 | Gary | $1,310 | -0.5% |
| 46402 | Gary | $1,120 | -15.0% |
| 46403 | Gary | $1,140 | -13.4% |
| 46404 | Gary | $1,200 | -8.9% |
| 46405 | Lake Station | $1,350 | +2.5% |
| 46406 | Gary | $1,170 | -11.2% |
| 46407 | Gary | $1,070 | -18.8% |
| 46408 | Gary | $1,210 | -8.1% |
| 46409 | Gary | $1,410 | +7.1% |
| 46410 | Merrillville | $1,590 | +20.7% |
| 46411 | Merrillville | $1,310 | -0.5% |
Counties sharing the Gary metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,317 two-bedroom figure as Lake.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Lake.
Porter County
16 mi · 173,355 people
$1,317
same rate
LaPorte County
33 mi · 112,215 people
$1,152
-13%
Jasper County
34 mi · 33,045 people
$1,174
-11%
Newton County
35 mi · 13,829 people
$1,317
same rate
Starke County
42 mi · 23,308 people
$956
-27%
Pulaski County
49 mi · 12,498 people
$956
-27%
Marshall County
59 mi · 46,208 people
$1,008
-23%
St. Joseph County
60 mi · 272,388 people
$1,292
-2%
Questions people ask
$1,317 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $959 for a studio, $1,082 for one bedroom, $1,612 for three and $1,744 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 Lake actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Lake for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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