HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Clark County, Kentucky (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Clark County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,272 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Clark keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,272
+9.2% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,145–$1,399
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$50,880
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Kentucky
11th of 120
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Clark moves to $1,416. That's up 11%. 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 | $883 | $795–$971 | $35,320 | $16.98/hr | +10.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,079 | $971–$1,187 | $43,160 | $20.75/hr | +9.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,272 | $1,145–$1,399 | $50,880 | $24.46/hr | +9.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,743 | $1,569–$1,917 | $69,720 | $33.52/hr | +10.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,940 | $1,746–$2,134 | $77,600 | $37.31/hr | +8.9% |
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 | $2,231 | $2,008–$2,454 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,522 | $2,270–$2,774 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,813 | $2,532–$3,094 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,104 | $2,794–$3,414 |
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 Clark actually rent for?
Search any address in Clark 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 Clark somewhere between $1,145 and $1,399. 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.
$1,272 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $50,880 a year. Put another way, $24 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%$1,145 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,272 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,399 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $395 | $522 | $649 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $72 | $199 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 9% from FY 2025 ($1,165) to FY 2026 ($1,272). Since FY 2020 it's up 48% in total, about 6.8% 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 | $597 | $678 | $858 | $1,189 | $1,496 | — |
| FY 2021 | $630 | $728 | $910 | $1,256 | $1,531 | +6.1% |
| FY 2022 | $632 | $741 | $912 | $1,256 | $1,496 | +0.2% |
| FY 2023 | $706 | $845 | $1,025 | $1,396 | $1,615 | +12.4% |
| FY 2024 | $802 | $983 | $1,177 | $1,599 | $1,807 | +14.8% |
| FY 2025 | $799 | $982 | $1,165 | $1,583 | $1,781 | -1.0% |
| FY 2026In effect | $883 | $1,079 | $1,272 | $1,743 | $1,940 | +9.2% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $986 | $1,205 | $1,416 | $1,948 | $2,108 | +11.3% |
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 Clark, that runs from $883 for a studio up to $1,940 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 Clark in with 5 other counties in the Lexington-Fayette metro, Fayette County, Scott County, Jessamine County among them, and every one of them gets $1,272 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 Kentucky's 120 counties, Clark ranks 11th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 41% above the state median of $900 and about 25% above the national median county at $1,018. About 36,897 people live here, 27th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the 2 ZIP codes it covers in Clark, the two-bedroom rate is $1,070 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
Counties sharing the Lexington-Fayette metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,272 two-bedroom figure as Clark.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Clark.
Bourbon County
16 mi · 20,228 people
$1,272
same rate
Fayette County
17 mi · 321,276 people
$1,272
same rate
Montgomery County
18 mi · 28,188 people
$905
-29%
Madison County
23 mi · 92,955 people
$904
-29%
Powell County
23 mi · 13,089 people
$866
-32%
Estill County
24 mi · 14,138 people
$866
-32%
Bath County
25 mi · 12,739 people
$866
-32%
Jessamine County
25 mi · 53,381 people
$1,272
same rate
Questions people ask
$1,272 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $883 for a studio, $1,079 for one bedroom, $1,743 for three and $1,940 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 Clark actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Clark for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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