HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana (FY 2027)
$1,231 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Calcasieu Parish, and it's the baseline every voucher in Calcasieu is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,231
+1.2% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,108–$1,354
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$49,240
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Louisiana
8th of 64
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
FY 2027 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 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $935 | $842–$1,029 | $37,400 | $17.98/hr | +1.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $941 | $847–$1,035 | $37,640 | $18.10/hr | +1.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,231 | $1,108–$1,354 | $49,240 | $23.67/hr | +1.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,467 | $1,320–$1,614 | $58,680 | $28.21/hr | +0.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,713 | $1,542–$1,884 | $68,520 | $32.94/hr | +6.3% |
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 | $1,970 | $1,773–$2,167 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,227 | $2,004–$2,450 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,484 | $2,236–$2,732 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,741 | $2,467–$3,015 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Calcasieu actually rent for?
Search any address in Calcasieu 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 Calcasieu somewhere between $1,108 and $1,354. 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.
$1,231 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $49,240 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%$1,108 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,231 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,354 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $358 | $481 | $604 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $31 | $154 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2026 ($1,217) to FY 2027 ($1,231). Since FY 2020 it's up 47% in total, about 5.7% a year. The Louisiana median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $617 | $663 | $837 | $1,063 | $1,245 | — |
| FY 2021 | $650 | $674 | $869 | $1,092 | $1,260 | +3.8% |
| FY 2022 | $660 | $688 | $884 | $1,107 | $1,241 | +1.7% |
| FY 2023 | $756 | $767 | $983 | $1,235 | $1,322 | +11.2% |
| FY 2024 | $835 | $840 | $1,080 | $1,333 | $1,438 | +9.9% |
| FY 2025 | $871 | $877 | $1,144 | $1,383 | $1,517 | +5.9% |
| FY 2026 | $921 | $928 | $1,217 | $1,459 | $1,611 | +6.4% |
| FY 2027In effect | $935 | $941 | $1,231 | $1,467 | $1,713 | +1.2% |
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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Calcasieu, that runs from $935 for a studio up to $1,713 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The parish doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Calcasieu in with one other parish in the Lake Charles metro, Cameron Parish among them, and every one of them gets $1,231 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the parish number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Louisiana's 64 counties, Calcasieu ranks 8th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 24% above the state median of $995 and about 16% above the national median county at $1,063. About 207,088 people live here, 7th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,100 in 70601 (Lake Charles) and $1,480 in 70605 (Lake Charles), with the 21 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the parish rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the parish rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70601 | Lake Charles | $1,100 | -10.6% |
| 70602 | Lake Charles | $1,230 | -0.1% |
| 70605 | Lake Charles | $1,480 | +20.2% |
| 70606 | Lake Charles | $1,230 | -0.1% |
| 70607 | Lake Charles | $1,190 | -3.3% |
| 70609 | Lake Charles | $1,340 | +8.9% |
| 70611 | Lake Charles | $1,390 | +12.9% |
| 70612 | Lake Charles | $1,230 | -0.1% |
| 70615 | Lake Charles | $1,210 | -1.7% |
| 70616 | Lake Charles | $1,230 | -0.1% |
| 70629 | Lake Charles | $1,230 | -0.1% |
| 70630 | Bell City | $1,100 | -10.6% |
| 70633 | Dequincy | $1,100 | -10.6% |
| 70646 | Hayes | $1,100 | -10.6% |
| 70647 | Iowa | $1,230 | -0.1% |
| 70661 | Starks | $1,100 | -10.6% |
| 70663 | Sulphur | $1,100 | -10.6% |
| 70664 | Sulphur | $1,230 | -0.1% |
| 70665 | Sulphur | $1,480 | +20.2% |
| 70668 | Vinton | $1,100 | -10.6% |
| 70669 | Westlake | $1,150 | -6.6% |
Counties sharing the Lake Charles metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,231 two-bedroom figure as Calcasieu.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Calcasieu.
Cameron Parish
27 mi · 5,015 people
$1,231
same rate
Beauregard Parish
29 mi · 36,676 people
$1,023
-17%
Jefferson Davis Parish
30 mi · 31,924 people
$921
-25%
Allen Parish
39 mi · 22,477 people
$910
-26%
Acadia Parish
52 mi · 56,955 people
$902
-27%
Evangeline Parish
62 mi · 32,060 people
$892
-28%
Vernon Parish
62 mi · 47,117 people
$1,102
-10%
Vermilion Parish
68 mi · 57,123 people
$899
-27%
Questions people ask
$1,231 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $935 for a studio, $941 for one bedroom, $1,467 for three and $1,713 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 Calcasieu actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Calcasieu for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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