HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Seward County, Kansas (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Seward County is $1,000 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,000
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$900 to $1,100
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$40,000
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Kansas
25th of 105
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Seward moves to $1,074. That's up 7%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Seward actually rent for?
Search any address in Seward 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 | $733 | $660 to $806 | $29,320 | $14.10/hr | +4.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $771 | $694 to $848 | $30,840 | $14.83/hr | +3.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,000 | $900 to $1,100 | $40,000 | $19.23/hr | +2.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,344 | $1,210 to $1,478 | $53,760 | $25.85/hr | +11.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,505 | $1,355 to $1,656 | $60,200 | $28.94/hr | +4.0% |
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 | $1,731 | $1,558 to $1,904 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,957 | $1,761 to $2,153 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,182 | $1,964 to $2,400 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,408 | $2,167 to $2,649 |
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 Seward, that runs from $733 for a studio up to $1,505 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Seward 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, Liberal included.
Among Kansas's 105 counties, Seward ranks 25th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 14% above the state median of $877 and within a couple percent of the national median county at $1,018. About 21,942 people live here, 26th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $980 in 67859 (Kismet) and $1,000 in 67901 (Liberal), with the 2 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 Seward somewhere between $900 and $1,100. 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.
$1,000 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,000 a year. Put another way, $19 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% ($900) | HAP at 100% ($1,000) | HAP at 110% ($1,100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $150 | $250 | $350 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 2% from FY 2025 ($978) to FY 2026 ($1,000). Since FY 2020 it's up 32% in total, about 4.7% a year. The Kansas median moved up 1% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $495 | $609 | $759 | $960 | $1,102 | — |
| FY 2021 | $593 | $595 | $784 | $975 | $1,099 | +3.3% |
| FY 2022 | $639 | $644 | $847 | $1,047 | $1,149 | +8.0% |
| FY 2023 | $696 | $713 | $939 | $1,143 | $1,261 | +10.9% |
| FY 2024 | $750 | $796 | $1,046 | $1,265 | $1,393 | +11.4% |
| FY 2025 | $701 | $745 | $978 | $1,208 | $1,447 | -6.5% |
| FY 2026 | $733 | $771 | $1,000 | $1,344 | $1,505 | +2.2% |
| FY 2027 | $790 | $821 | $1,074 | $1,487 | $1,678 | +7.4% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,000 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $733 for a studio, $771 for one bedroom, $1,344 for three and $1,505 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 Seward actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Seward for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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