HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Clay County, Iowa (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Clay County is $919 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$919
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$827 to $1,011
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$36,760
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Iowa
56th of 99
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Clay moves to $927. That's up 1%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Clay actually rent for?
Search any address in Clay 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 | $682 | $614 to $750 | $27,280 | $13.12/hr | +5.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $700 | $630 to $770 | $28,000 | $13.46/hr | +0.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $919 | $827 to $1,011 | $36,760 | $17.67/hr | +4.8% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,198 | $1,078 to $1,318 | $47,920 | $23.04/hr | +3.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,217 | $1,095 to $1,339 | $48,680 | $23.40/hr | +4.6% |
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 | $1,400 | $1,260 to $1,540 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,582 | $1,424 to $1,740 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,765 | $1,589 to $1,942 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $1,947 | $1,752 to $2,142 |
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 Clay, that runs from $682 for a studio up to $1,217 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Clay 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, Peterson included.
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Clay ranks 56th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $919 and about 10% below the national median county at $1,018. About 16,423 people live here, 47th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $920 in 51340 (Fostoria) and $1,140 in 51333 (Dickens), with the 9 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.
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 Clay somewhere between $827 and $1,011. 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.
$919 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $36,760 a year. Put another way, $18 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% ($827) | HAP at 100% ($919) | HAP at 110% ($1,011) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $77 | $169 | $261 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2025 ($877) to FY 2026 ($919). Since FY 2020 it's up 34% in total, about 5.0% a year. The Iowa median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $497 | $522 | $687 | $968 | $1,154 | — |
| FY 2021 | $524 | $548 | $722 | $1,016 | $1,209 | +5.1% |
| FY 2022 | $510 | $591 | $768 | $1,050 | $1,261 | +6.4% |
| FY 2023 | $542 | $657 | $811 | $1,100 | $1,154 | +5.6% |
| FY 2024 | $630 | $700 | $862 | $1,142 | $1,148 | +6.3% |
| FY 2025 | $646 | $697 | $877 | $1,158 | $1,163 | +1.7% |
| FY 2026 | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,198 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| FY 2027 | $688 | $709 | $927 | $1,214 | $1,218 | +0.9% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$919 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $682 for a studio, $700 for one bedroom, $1,198 for three and $1,217 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 Clay actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Clay for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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