HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Hardin County, Kentucky (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Hardin County is $1,056 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,056
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$950 to $1,162
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$42,240
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Kentucky
32nd of 120
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Hardin moves to $1,087. That's up 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Hardin actually rent for?
Search any address in Hardin 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 | $841 | $757 to $925 | $33,640 | $16.17/hr | -1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $846 | $761 to $931 | $33,840 | $16.27/hr | -1.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,056 | $950 to $1,162 | $42,240 | $20.31/hr | -1.8% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,469 | $1,322 to $1,616 | $58,760 | $28.25/hr | -2.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,771 | $1,594 to $1,948 | $70,840 | $34.06/hr | -1.9% |
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 | $2,037 | $1,833 to $2,241 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,302 | $2,072 to $2,532 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,568 | $2,311 to $2,825 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,834 | $2,551 to $3,117 |
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 Hardin, that runs from $841 for a studio up to $1,771 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 Hardin in with one other county in the Elizabethtown metro, Larue County among them, and every one of them gets $1,056 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, Hardin ranks 32nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 17% above the state median of $900 and about 4% above the national median county at $1,018. About 111,005 people live here, 6th in the state.
Counties sharing the Elizabethtown metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $970 in 42724 (Cecilia) and $1,380 in 40175 (Vine Grove), with the 15 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.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40121 | Fort Knox | $1,180 | +11.7% |
| 40122 | Fort Knox | $1,060 | +0.4% |
| 40159 | Radcliff | $1,060 | +0.4% |
| 40160 | Radcliff | $980 | -7.2% |
| 40162 | Rineyville | $1,170 | +10.8% |
| 40175 | Vine Grove | $1,380 | +30.7% |
| 40177 | West Point | $1,070 | +1.3% |
| 42701 | Elizabethtown | $1,160 | +9.8% |
| 42702 | Elizabethtown | $1,060 | +0.4% |
| 42724 | Cecilia | $970 | -8.1% |
| 42732 | Eastview | $970 | -8.1% |
| 42740 | Glendale | $970 | -8.1% |
| 42776 | Sonora | $970 | -8.1% |
| 42784 | Upton | $970 | -8.1% |
| 42788 | White Mills | $970 | -8.1% |
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 Hardin somewhere between $950 and $1,162. 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.
$1,056 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $42,240 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% ($950) | HAP at 100% ($1,056) | HAP at 110% ($1,162) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $200 | $306 | $412 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 2% from FY 2025 ($1,075) to FY 2026 ($1,056). Since FY 2020 it's up 35% in total, about 5.2% a year. The Kentucky median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $587 | $593 | $781 | $1,127 | $1,371 | — |
| FY 2021 | $638 | $642 | $846 | $1,211 | $1,465 | +8.3% |
| FY 2022 | $630 | $635 | $835 | $1,161 | $1,412 | -1.3% |
| FY 2023 | $664 | $668 | $868 | $1,189 | $1,479 | +4.0% |
| FY 2024 | $785 | $790 | $1,003 | $1,385 | $1,702 | +15.6% |
| FY 2025 | $857 | $862 | $1,075 | $1,506 | $1,805 | +7.2% |
| FY 2026 | $841 | $846 | $1,056 | $1,469 | $1,771 | -1.8% |
| FY 2027 | $860 | $866 | $1,087 | $1,505 | $1,817 | +2.9% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,056 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $841 for a studio, $846 for one bedroom, $1,469 for three and $1,771 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 Hardin actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Hardin for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.