HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Grundy County, Iowa (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Grundy County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,051 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Grundy keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,051
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$946 to $1,156
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$42,040
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Iowa
21st of 99
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Grundy moves to $1,096. That's up 4%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Grundy actually rent for?
Search any address in Grundy 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 | $725 | $653 to $798 | $29,000 | $13.94/hr | +6.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $801 | $721 to $881 | $32,040 | $15.40/hr | +5.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,051 | $946 to $1,156 | $42,040 | $20.21/hr | +5.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,357 | $1,221 to $1,493 | $54,280 | $26.10/hr | +4.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,763 | $1,587 to $1,939 | $70,520 | $33.90/hr | +5.3% |
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 | $2,027 | $1,824 to $2,230 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,292 | $2,063 to $2,521 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,556 | $2,300 to $2,812 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,821 | $2,539 to $3,103 |
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 Grundy, that runs from $725 for a studio up to $1,763 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 Grundy in with one other county in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro, Black Hawk County among them, and every one of them gets $1,051 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 Iowa's 99 counties, Grundy ranks 21st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 14% above the state median of $919 and about 3% above the national median county at $1,018. About 12,351 people live here, 60th in the state.
Counties sharing the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $920 in 50609 (Beaman) and $1,230 in 50642 (Holland), 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 Grundy somewhere between $946 and $1,156. 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.
$1,051 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $42,040 a year. Put another way, $20 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% ($946) | HAP at 100% ($1,051) | HAP at 110% ($1,156) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $196 | $301 | $406 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2025 ($997) to FY 2026 ($1,051). Since FY 2020 it's up 38% in total, about 5.5% 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 | $517 | $604 | $763 | $996 | $1,249 | — |
| FY 2021 | $592 | $670 | $839 | $1,111 | $1,413 | +10.0% |
| FY 2022 | $611 | $707 | $889 | $1,178 | $1,499 | +6.0% |
| FY 2023 | $629 | $740 | $934 | $1,241 | $1,591 | +5.1% |
| FY 2024 | $640 | $737 | $944 | $1,250 | $1,602 | +1.1% |
| FY 2025 | $684 | $760 | $997 | $1,301 | $1,674 | +5.6% |
| FY 2026 | $725 | $801 | $1,051 | $1,357 | $1,763 | +5.4% |
| FY 2027 | $763 | $838 | $1,096 | $1,401 | $1,832 | +4.3% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,051 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $725 for a studio, $801 for one bedroom, $1,357 for three and $1,763 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 Grundy actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Grundy for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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