HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Jefferson Parish carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,331 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Jefferson keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,331
-9.9% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,198–$1,464
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$53,240
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Louisiana
1st of 64
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Jefferson moves to $1,480. That's up 11%. 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 | $964 | $868–$1,060 | $38,560 | $18.54/hr | -10.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,113 | $1,002–$1,224 | $44,520 | $21.40/hr | -10.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,331 | $1,198–$1,464 | $53,240 | $25.60/hr | -9.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,701 | $1,531–$1,871 | $68,040 | $32.71/hr | -10.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,996 | $1,796–$2,196 | $79,840 | $38.38/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 | $2,295 | $2,066–$2,525 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,595 | $2,336–$2,855 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,894 | $2,605–$3,183 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,194 | $2,875–$3,513 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in New Orleans are asking $1,638. HUD says $1,331.
That's 23% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 18 New Orleans ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
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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 Jefferson somewhere between $1,198 and $1,464. 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.
$1,331 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $53,240 a year. Put another way, $26 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%$1,198 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,331 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,464 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $448 | $581 | $714 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $131 | $264 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 10% from FY 2025 ($1,478) to FY 2026 ($1,331). Since FY 2020 it's up 23% in total, about 3.6% a year. The Louisiana median moved down 4% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $779 | $908 | $1,078 | $1,396 | $1,597 | — |
| FY 2021 | $765 | $899 | $1,061 | $1,371 | $1,583 | -1.6% |
| FY 2022 | $786 | $927 | $1,089 | $1,404 | $1,623 | +2.6% |
| FY 2023 | $848 | $1,002 | $1,182 | $1,524 | $1,770 | +8.5% |
| FY 2024 | $986 | $1,149 | $1,362 | $1,750 | $2,039 | +15.2% |
| FY 2025 | $1,071 | $1,236 | $1,478 | $1,889 | $2,217 | +8.5% |
| FY 2026In effect | $964 | $1,113 | $1,331 | $1,701 | $1,996 | -9.9% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,096 | $1,229 | $1,480 | $1,900 | $2,233 | +11.2% |
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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Jefferson, that runs from $964 for a studio up to $1,996 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 Jefferson in with 5 other parishes in the New Orleans-Metairie metro, Orleans Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. Bernard Parish among them, and every one of them gets $1,331 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, Jefferson ranks 1st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 41% above the state median of $946 and about 31% above the national median county at $1,018. About 436,171 people live here, 2nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,340 in 70002 (Metairie) and $1,660 in 70123 (New Orleans), with the 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70001 | Metairie | $1,390 | +4.4% |
| 70002 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70003 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70004 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70005 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70006 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70009 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70010 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70011 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70033 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70036 | Barataria | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70053 | Gretna | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70054 | Gretna | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70055 | Metairie | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70056 | Gretna | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70058 | Harvey | $1,350 | +1.4% |
| 70059 | Harvey | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70060 | Metairie | $1,331County rate | — |
| 70062 | Kenner | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70063 | Kenner | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70064 | Kenner | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70065 | Kenner | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70067 | Lafitte | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70072 | Marrero | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70073 | Marrero | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70094 | Westwego | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70096 | Westwego | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70097 | Kenner | $1,331County rate | — |
| 70121 | New Orleans | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70123 | New Orleans | $1,660 | +24.7% |
| 70141 | New Orleans | $1,331County rate | — |
| 70181 | New Orleans | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70183 | New Orleans | $1,340 | +0.7% |
| 70358 | Grand Isle | $1,480 | +11.2% |
Counties sharing the New Orleans-Metairie metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,331 two-bedroom figure as Jefferson.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Jefferson.
Orleans Parish
6 mi · 380,408 people
$1,331
same rate
St. Bernard Parish
13 mi · 44,038 people
$1,331
same rate
St. Charles Parish
14 mi · 52,191 people
$1,331
same rate
St. John the Baptist Parish
27 mi · 41,986 people
$1,331
same rate
Lafourche Parish
29 mi · 97,220 people
$1,102
-17%
St. James Parish
38 mi · 20,090 people
$921
-31%
St. Tammany Parish
38 mi · 266,168 people
$1,331
same rate
Plaquemines Parish
41 mi · 23,305 people
$1,331
same rate
Questions people ask
$1,331 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $964 for a studio, $1,113 for one bedroom, $1,701 for three and $1,996 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 Jefferson actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Jefferson for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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