HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Dubuque County, Iowa (FY 2027)
$1,131 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Dubuque County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Dubuque is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,131
+5.0% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,018–$1,244
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$45,240
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Iowa
11th 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 | $788 | $709–$867 | $31,520 | $15.15/hr | +1.8% |
| 1 bedroom | $891 | $802–$980 | $35,640 | $17.13/hr | +5.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,131 | $1,018–$1,244 | $45,240 | $21.75/hr | +5.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,516 | $1,364–$1,668 | $60,640 | $29.15/hr | +4.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,865 | $1,679–$2,052 | $74,600 | $35.87/hr | +3.2% |
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 | $2,145 | $1,931–$2,360 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,425 | $2,183–$2,668 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,704 | $2,434–$2,974 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,984 | $2,686–$3,282 |
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 Dubuque actually rent for?
Search any address in Dubuque 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 Dubuque somewhere between $1,018 and $1,244. 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.
$1,131 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $45,240 a year. Put another way, $22 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%$1,018 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,131 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,244 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $268 | $381 | $494 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $44 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2026 ($1,077) to FY 2027 ($1,131). Since FY 2020 it's up 44% in total, about 5.4% 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 | $510 | $595 | $783 | $1,048 | $1,290 | — |
| FY 2021 | $532 | $612 | $806 | $1,065 | $1,376 | +2.9% |
| FY 2022 | $554 | $634 | $834 | $1,112 | $1,427 | +3.5% |
| FY 2023 | $621 | $706 | $929 | $1,238 | $1,582 | +11.4% |
| FY 2024 | $650 | $712 | $936 | $1,259 | $1,588 | +0.8% |
| FY 2025 | $722 | $763 | $996 | $1,315 | $1,673 | +6.4% |
| FY 2026 | $774 | $841 | $1,077 | $1,450 | $1,807 | +8.1% |
| FY 2027In effect | $788 | $891 | $1,131 | $1,516 | $1,865 | +5.0% |
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 Dubuque, that runs from $788 for a studio up to $1,865 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Dubuque is its own HUD metro area (Dubuque, IA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Dubuque ranks 11th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 22% above the state median of $927 and about 6% above the national median county at $1,063. About 99,030 people live here, 9th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $970 in 52053 (Holy Cross) and $1,320 in 52073 (Sherrill), with the 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52001 | Dubuque | $1,140 | +0.8% |
| 52002 | Dubuque | $1,250 | +10.5% |
| 52003 | Dubuque | $1,120 | -1.0% |
| 52004 | Dubuque | $1,130 | -0.1% |
| 52032 | Bernard | $1,050 | -7.2% |
| 52033 | Cascade | $1,050 | -7.2% |
| 52039 | Durango | $1,170 | +3.4% |
| 52040 | Dyersville | $1,200 | +6.1% |
| 52045 | Epworth | $1,050 | -7.2% |
| 52046 | Farley | $1,190 | +5.2% |
| 52053 | Holy Cross | $970 | -14.2% |
| 52056 | Luxemburg | $990 | -12.5% |
| 52065 | New Vienna | $1,000 | -11.6% |
| 52068 | Peosta | $1,220 | +7.9% |
| 52073 | Sherrill | $1,320 | +16.7% |
| 52078 | Worthington | $970 | -14.2% |
| 52079 | Zwingle | $1,010 | -10.7% |
| 52099 | Dubuque | $1,130 | -0.1% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Dubuque.
Delaware County
25 mi · 17,558 people
$927
-18%
Jackson County
29 mi · 19,390 people
$927
-18%
Jones County
30 mi · 20,896 people
$927
-18%
Clayton County
34 mi · 17,013 people
$927
-18%
Clinton County
46 mi · 46,268 people
$927
-18%
Linn County
47 mi · 230,004 people
$1,054
-7%
Cedar County
48 mi · 18,349 people
$969
-14%
Buchanan County
50 mi · 20,694 people
$937
-17%
Questions people ask
$1,131 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $788 for a studio, $891 for one bedroom, $1,516 for three and $1,865 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 Dubuque actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Dubuque for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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