HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in St. Joseph County, Indiana (FY 2027)
HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Joseph County is $1,276 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,276
-1.2% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,148–$1,404
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$51,040
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Indiana
21st 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 | $937 | $843–$1,031 | $37,480 | $18.02/hr | +4.3% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,093 | $984–$1,202 | $43,720 | $21.02/hr | -1.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,276 | $1,148–$1,404 | $51,040 | $24.54/hr | -1.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,545 | $1,391–$1,700 | $61,800 | $29.71/hr | -1.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,677 | $1,509–$1,845 | $67,080 | $32.25/hr | -2.0% |
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 | $1,929 | $1,736–$2,122 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,180 | $1,962–$2,398 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,432 | $2,189–$2,675 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,683 | $2,415–$2,951 |
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 St. Joseph actually rent for?
Search any address in St. Joseph 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. Joseph somewhere between $1,148 and $1,404. 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.
$1,276 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $51,040 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%$1,148 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,276 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,404 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $398 | $526 | $654 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $76 | $204 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2026 ($1,292) to FY 2027 ($1,276). Since FY 2020 it's up 52% in total, about 6.2% 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 | $598 | $687 | $840 | $1,082 | $1,138 | — |
| FY 2021 | $616 | $706 | $851 | $1,100 | $1,154 | +1.3% |
| FY 2022 | $708 | $823 | $981 | $1,252 | $1,330 | +15.3% |
| FY 2023 | $755 | $923 | $1,099 | $1,397 | $1,476 | +12.0% |
| FY 2024 | $689 | $862 | $1,017 | $1,267 | $1,354 | -7.5% |
| FY 2025 | $751 | $936 | $1,095 | $1,350 | $1,452 | +7.7% |
| FY 2026 | $898 | $1,105 | $1,292 | $1,567 | $1,711 | +18.0% |
| FY 2027In effect | $937 | $1,093 | $1,276 | $1,545 | $1,677 | -1.2% |
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 St. Joseph, that runs from $937 for a studio up to $1,677 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
St. Joseph is its own HUD metro area (South Bend-Mishawaka, IN), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Indiana's 92 counties, St. Joseph ranks 21st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 17% above the state median of $1,086 and about 20% above the national median county at $1,063. About 273,040 people live here, 5th 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 46536 (Lakeville) and $1,910 in 46530 (Granger), with the 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46530 | Granger | $1,910 | +49.7% |
| 46536 | Lakeville | $1,170 | -8.3% |
| 46544 | Mishawaka | $1,240 | -2.8% |
| 46545 | Mishawaka | $1,350 | +5.8% |
| 46546 | Mishawaka | $1,280 | +0.3% |
| 46552 | New Carlisle | $1,260 | -1.3% |
| 46554 | North Liberty | $1,170 | -8.3% |
| 46556 | Notre Dame | $1,370 | +7.4% |
| 46561 | Osceola | $1,420 | +11.3% |
| 46574 | Walkerton | $1,170 | -8.3% |
| 46595 | Wyatt | $1,280 | +0.3% |
| 46601 | South Bend | $1,170 | -8.3% |
| 46613 | South Bend | $1,220 | -4.4% |
| 46614 | South Bend | $1,170 | -8.3% |
| 46615 | South Bend | $1,180 | -7.5% |
| 46616 | South Bend | $1,280 | +0.3% |
| 46617 | South Bend | $1,770 | +38.7% |
| 46619 | South Bend | $1,190 | -6.7% |
| 46624 | South Bend | $1,210 | -5.2% |
| 46626 | South Bend | $1,276County rate | — |
| 46628 | South Bend | $1,310 | +2.7% |
| 46634 | South Bend | $1,280 | +0.3% |
| 46635 | South Bend | $1,170 | -8.3% |
| 46637 | South Bend | $1,420 | +11.3% |
| 46660 | South Bend | $1,280 | +0.3% |
| 46680 | South Bend | $1,280 | +0.3% |
| 46699 | South Bend | $1,276County rate | — |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to St. Joseph.
Elkhart County
19 mi · 207,132 people
$1,253
-2%
Marshall County
22 mi · 46,284 people
$1,088
-15%
LaPorte County
27 mi · 111,917 people
$1,245
-2%
Starke County
33 mi · 23,365 people
$1,014
-21%
Kosciusko County
34 mi · 80,442 people
$1,162
-9%
Fulton County
42 mi · 20,312 people
$1,034
-19%
LaGrange County
45 mi · 40,805 people
$1,039
-19%
Porter County
45 mi · 174,818 people
$1,429
+12%
Questions people ask
$1,276 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $937 for a studio, $1,093 for one bedroom, $1,545 for three and $1,677 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. Joseph actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. Joseph for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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