HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Buchanan County, Iowa (FY 2027)
$937 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Buchanan County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Buchanan is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$937
-0.5% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$843–$1,031
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$37,480
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Iowa
49th of 99
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 | $712 | $641–$783 | $28,480 | $13.69/hr | -0.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $716 | $644–$788 | $28,640 | $13.77/hr | -0.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $937 | $843–$1,031 | $37,480 | $18.02/hr | -0.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,297 | $1,167–$1,427 | $51,880 | $24.94/hr | +1.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,522 | $1,370–$1,674 | $60,880 | $29.27/hr | +3.7% |
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 | $1,750 | $1,575–$1,925 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,979 | $1,781–$2,177 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,207 | $1,986–$2,428 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,435 | $2,192–$2,679 |
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 Buchanan actually rent for?
Search any address in Buchanan 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 Buchanan somewhere between $843 and $1,031. 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.
$937 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $37,480 a year. Put another way, $18 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%$843 | Voucher pays at 100%$937 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $93 | $187 | $281 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2026 ($942) to FY 2027 ($937). Since FY 2020 it's up 35% in total, about 4.3% a year. The Iowa median moved up 1% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $479 | $541 | $696 | $939 | $943 | — |
| FY 2021 | $510 | $585 | $741 | $968 | $1,005 | +6.5% |
| FY 2022 | $564 | $606 | $798 | $987 | $1,082 | +7.7% |
| FY 2023 | $643 | $647 | $852 | $1,058 | $1,145 | +6.8% |
| FY 2024 | $699 | $700 | $920 | $1,153 | $1,225 | +8.0% |
| FY 2025 | $697 | $702 | $921 | $1,218 | $1,250 | +0.1% |
| FY 2026 | $713 | $718 | $942 | $1,281 | $1,468 | +2.3% |
| FY 2027In effect | $712 | $716 | $937 | $1,297 | $1,522 | -0.5% |
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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Buchanan, that runs from $712 for a studio up to $1,522 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Buchanan sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a county-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the county, Aurora included.
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Buchanan ranks 49th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $927 and about 12% below the national median county at $1,063. About 20,694 people live here, 31st in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $930 in 50641 (Hazleton) and $1,120 in 50682 (Winthrop), with the 11 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.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Buchanan.
Black Hawk County
22 mi · 131,049 people
$1,096
+17%
Delaware County
25 mi · 17,558 people
$927
-1%
Fayette County
25 mi · 19,288 people
$940
same rate
Bremer County
30 mi · 25,204 people
$1,023
+9%
Linn County
33 mi · 230,004 people
$1,054
+12%
Benton County
35 mi · 25,724 people
$982
+5%
Clayton County
36 mi · 17,013 people
$927
-1%
Chickasaw County
45 mi · 11,807 people
$927
-1%
Questions people ask
$937 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $712 for a studio, $716 for one bedroom, $1,297 for three and $1,522 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 Buchanan actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Buchanan for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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