HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Meade County, Kentucky (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Meade County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,075 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Meade keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,075
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$968 to $1,183
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$43,000
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Kentucky
29th of 120
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Meade moves to $1,052. That's down 2%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Meade actually rent for?
Search any address in Meade 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 | $814 | $733 to $895 | $32,560 | $15.65/hr | -3.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $819 | $737 to $901 | $32,760 | $15.75/hr | -3.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,075 | $968 to $1,183 | $43,000 | $20.67/hr | -3.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,463 | $1,317 to $1,609 | $58,520 | $28.13/hr | -2.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,680 | $1,512 to $1,848 | $67,200 | $32.31/hr | -10.0% |
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 | $1,932 | $1,739 to $2,125 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,184 | $1,966 to $2,402 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,436 | $2,192 to $2,680 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,688 | $2,419 to $2,957 |
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 Meade, that runs from $814 for a studio up to $1,680 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Meade is its own HUD metro area (Meade County, KY), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Kentucky's 120 counties, Meade ranks 29th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 19% above the state median of $900 and about 6% above the national median county at $1,018. About 29,964 people live here, 36th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,000 in 40104 (Battletown) and $1,170 in 40117 (Ekron), with the 7 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 Meade somewhere between $968 and $1,183. 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.
$1,075 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $43,000 a year. Put another way, $21 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% ($968) | HAP at 100% ($1,075) | HAP at 110% ($1,183) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $218 | $325 | $433 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 3% from FY 2025 ($1,111) to FY 2026 ($1,075). Since FY 2020 it's up 49% in total, about 6.9% 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 | $502 | $568 | $721 | $1,040 | $1,235 | — |
| FY 2021 | $561 | $603 | $775 | $1,109 | $1,342 | +7.5% |
| FY 2022 | $593 | $597 | $786 | $1,117 | $1,345 | +1.4% |
| FY 2023 | $663 | $668 | $879 | $1,249 | $1,497 | +11.8% |
| FY 2024 | $783 | $788 | $1,035 | $1,443 | $1,756 | +17.7% |
| FY 2025 | $841 | $847 | $1,111 | $1,507 | $1,866 | +7.3% |
| FY 2026 | $814 | $819 | $1,075 | $1,463 | $1,680 | -3.2% |
| FY 2027 | $799 | $804 | $1,052 | $1,443 | $1,549 | -2.1% |
Nearby counties
Breckinridge County
$86616 mi · pop 20,528
Hardin County
$1,05623 mi · pop 111,005
Bullitt County
$1,27229 mi · pop 82,482
Hancock County
$1,01633 mi · pop 9,058
Jefferson County
$1,27234 mi · pop 779,232
Grayson County
$86635 mi · pop 26,465
Larue County
$1,05644 mi · pop 14,902
Nelson County
$1,01644 mi · pop 46,779
Questions people ask
$1,075 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $814 for a studio, $819 for one bedroom, $1,463 for three and $1,680 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 Meade actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Meade for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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