HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Butler County, Kentucky (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Butler County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $866 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Butler keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$866
-0.1% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$779–$953
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$34,640
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Kentucky
70th of 120
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Butler moves to $909. That's up 5%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
FY 2026 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 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $660 | $594–$726 | $26,400 | $12.69/hr | +1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $660 | $594–$726 | $26,400 | $12.69/hr | -0.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $866 | $779–$953 | $34,640 | $16.65/hr | -0.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,204 | $1,084–$1,324 | $48,160 | $23.15/hr | -0.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,232 | $1,109–$1,355 | $49,280 | $23.69/hr | -9.9% |
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 | $1,417 | $1,275–$1,559 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,602 | $1,442–$1,762 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,786 | $1,607–$1,965 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $1,971 | $1,774–$2,168 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Butler actually rent for?
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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 Butler somewhere between $779 and $953. 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.
$866 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $34,640 a year. Put another way, $17 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%$779 | Voucher pays at 100%$866 | Voucher pays at 110%$953 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $29 | $116 | $203 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 0% from FY 2025 ($867) to FY 2026 ($866). Since FY 2020 it's up 37% in total, about 5.4% a year. The Kentucky median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $476 | $479 | $631 | $875 | $926 | — |
| FY 2021 | $500 | $503 | $663 | $940 | $1,083 | +5.1% |
| FY 2022 | $509 | $512 | $674 | $957 | $1,061 | +1.7% |
| FY 2023 | $560 | $564 | $742 | $1,055 | $1,111 | +10.1% |
| FY 2024 | $638 | $647 | $850 | $1,198 | $1,442 | +14.6% |
| FY 2025 | $648 | $661 | $867 | $1,215 | $1,368 | +2.0% |
| FY 2026In effect | $660 | $660 | $866 | $1,204 | $1,232 | -0.1% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $690 | $695 | $909 | $1,190 | $1,195 | +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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Butler, that runs from $660 for a studio up to $1,232 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Butler is its own HUD metro area (Butler County, KY), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Kentucky's 120 counties, Butler ranks 70th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 4% below the state median of $900 and about 15% below the national median county at $1,018. About 12,365 people live here, 88th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the 6 ZIP codes it covers in Butler, the two-bedroom rate is $870 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Butler.
Ohio County
18 mi · 23,782 people
$866
same rate
Muhlenberg County
23 mi · 30,735 people
$866
same rate
Edmonson County
24 mi · 12,179 people
$1,153
+33%
Warren County
24 mi · 135,307 people
$1,153
+33%
Grayson County
27 mi · 26,465 people
$866
same rate
Logan County
28 mi · 27,498 people
$866
same rate
Simpson County
34 mi · 19,574 people
$1,055
+22%
Todd County
36 mi · 12,281 people
$918
+6%
Questions people ask
$866 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $660 for a studio, $660 for one bedroom, $1,204 for three and $1,232 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 Butler actually go for?
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