HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Pulaski County, Kentucky (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Pulaski County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $926 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Pulaski keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$926
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$833 to $1,019
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$37,040
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Kentucky
50th of 120
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Pulaski moves to $924. That's unchanged. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Pulaski actually rent for?
Search any address in Pulaski 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 | $662 | $596 to $728 | $26,480 | $12.73/hr | -2.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $706 | $635 to $777 | $28,240 | $13.58/hr | -1.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $926 | $833 to $1,019 | $37,040 | $17.81/hr | -1.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,110 | $999 to $1,221 | $44,400 | $21.35/hr | -1.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,355 | $1,220 to $1,491 | $54,200 | $26.06/hr | -6.5% |
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 | $1,558 | $1,402 to $1,714 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,762 | $1,586 to $1,938 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,965 | $1,769 to $2,162 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,168 | $1,951 to $2,385 |
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 Pulaski, that runs from $662 for a studio up to $1,355 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Pulaski 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, Somerset included.
Among Kentucky's 120 counties, Pulaski ranks 50th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 3% above the state median of $900 and about 9% below the national median county at $1,018. About 65,145 people live here, 14th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $870 in 42533 (Ferguson) and $970 in 42503 (Somerset), with the 11 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 Pulaski somewhere between $833 and $1,019. 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.
$926 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $37,040 a year. Put another way, $18 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% ($833) | HAP at 100% ($926) | HAP at 110% ($1,019) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $83 | $176 | $269 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2025 ($939) to FY 2026 ($926). Since FY 2020 it's up 43% in total, about 6.1% 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 | $422 | $494 | $648 | $845 | $878 | — |
| FY 2021 | $460 | $529 | $697 | $908 | $945 | +7.6% |
| FY 2022 | $468 | $536 | $705 | $899 | $956 | +1.1% |
| FY 2023 | $512 | $584 | $766 | $955 | $1,048 | +8.7% |
| FY 2024 | $618 | $699 | $912 | $1,107 | $1,351 | +19.1% |
| FY 2025 | $676 | $716 | $939 | $1,131 | $1,449 | +3.0% |
| FY 2026 | $662 | $706 | $926 | $1,110 | $1,355 | -1.4% |
| FY 2027 | $660 | $706 | $924 | $1,101 | $1,308 | -0.2% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$926 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $662 for a studio, $706 for one bedroom, $1,110 for three and $1,355 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 Pulaski actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Pulaski for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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