HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Porter County, Indiana (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Porter County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,317 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Porter keys off that figure.
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
15th of 92
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Porter 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 Porter actually rent for?
Search any address in Porter for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
No card needed
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 Porter 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 Porter, 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 Porter in with 2 other counties in the Gary metro, Lake 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, Porter ranks 15th 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 173,355 people live here, 10th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,120 in 46341 (Hebron) and $1,470 in 46385 (Valparaiso), with the 10 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.
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 Porter.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Porter.
Lake County
16 mi · 497,682 people
$1,317
same rate
LaPorte County
17 mi · 112,215 people
$1,152
-13%
Starke County
27 mi · 23,308 people
$956
-27%
Jasper County
29 mi · 33,045 people
$1,174
-11%
Newton County
36 mi · 13,829 people
$1,317
same rate
Pulaski County
37 mi · 12,498 people
$956
-27%
Marshall County
43 mi · 46,208 people
$1,008
-23%
St. Joseph County
45 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 Porter actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Porter for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.