HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Hancock County, Kentucky (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Hancock County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,016 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Hancock keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,016
-9.9% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$914–$1,118
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$40,640
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Kentucky
36th of 120
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Hancock moves to $962. That's down 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 | $769 | $692–$846 | $30,760 | $14.79/hr | -10.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $774 | $697–$851 | $30,960 | $14.88/hr | -10.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,016 | $914–$1,118 | $40,640 | $19.54/hr | -9.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,345 | $1,211–$1,480 | $53,800 | $25.87/hr | -10.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,347 | $1,212–$1,482 | $53,880 | $25.90/hr | -10.0% |
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 | $1,549 | $1,394–$1,704 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,751 | $1,576–$1,926 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,953 | $1,758–$2,148 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,155 | $1,940–$2,371 |
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 Hancock 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 Hancock somewhere between $914 and $1,118. 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.
$1,016 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,640 a year. Put another way, $20 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%$914 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,016 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,118 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $164 | $266 | $368 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 10% from FY 2025 ($1,128) to FY 2026 ($1,016). Since FY 2020 it's up 29% in total, about 4.3% 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 | $565 | $605 | $787 | $1,027 | $1,107 | — |
| FY 2021 | $598 | $623 | $821 | $1,075 | $1,113 | +4.3% |
| FY 2022 | $595 | $641 | $843 | $1,101 | $1,143 | +2.7% |
| FY 2023 | $699 | $703 | $926 | $1,223 | $1,244 | +9.8% |
| FY 2024 | $825 | $830 | $1,091 | $1,440 | $1,453 | +17.8% |
| FY 2025 | $854 | $860 | $1,128 | $1,494 | $1,496 | +3.4% |
| FY 2026In effect | $769 | $774 | $1,016 | $1,345 | $1,347 | -9.9% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $693 | $784 | $962 | $1,276 | $1,344 | -5.3% |
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 Hancock, that runs from $769 for a studio up to $1,347 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Hancock 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, Hawesville included.
Among Kentucky's 120 counties, Hancock ranks 36th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 13% above the state median of $900 and within a couple percent of the national median county at $1,018. About 9,058 people live here, 102nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the 4 ZIP codes it covers in Hancock, the two-bedroom rate is $1,020 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Hancock.
Daviess County
18 mi · 102,916 people
$1,110
+9%
Breckinridge County
22 mi · 20,528 people
$866
-15%
Ohio County
25 mi · 23,782 people
$866
-15%
McLean County
32 mi · 9,173 people
$1,110
+9%
Meade County
33 mi · 29,964 people
$1,075
+6%
Grayson County
35 mi · 26,465 people
$866
-15%
Henderson County
41 mi · 44,770 people
$949
-7%
Butler County
42 mi · 12,365 people
$866
-15%
Questions people ask
$1,016 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $769 for a studio, $774 for one bedroom, $1,345 for three and $1,347 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 Hancock actually go for?
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