How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Orleans Parish?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,332 to $1,628. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Does Orleans Parish have its own Fair Market Rent?

No. It uses the New Orleans-Metairie metro rate, shared with 5 other parishes. HUD sets one FMR for the whole metro area, so Orleans gets the same $1,480 two-bedroom figure as Jefferson Parish.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Orleans Parish?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Orleans those run from $1,210 to $2,220 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the parish rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Orleans Parish come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Louisiana figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in Orleans Parish, Louisiana (FY 2027)

HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Orleans Parish is $1,480 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,480

+11.2% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,332–$1,628

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$59,200

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Louisiana

2nd 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	$1,096	$986–$1,206	$43,840	$21.08/hr	+13.7%
1 bedroom	$1,229	$1,106–$1,352	$49,160	$23.63/hr	+10.4%
2 bedroom	$1,480	$1,332–$1,628	$59,200	$28.46/hr	+11.2%
3 bedroom	$1,900	$1,710–$2,090	$76,000	$36.54/hr	+11.7%
4 bedroom	$2,233	$2,010–$2,456	$89,320	$42.94/hr	+11.9%

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	$2,568	$2,311–$2,825
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,903	$2,613–$3,193
7 bedroom Estimate	$3,238	$2,914–$3,562
8 bedroom Estimate	$3,573	$3,216–$3,930

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

Two-bedrooms in New Orleans are asking $1,623. HUD says $1,480.

That's 10% 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.

New Orleans rents by ZIP code Section 8 vs market rent, 65 metros

No card needed

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 Orleans somewhere between $1,332 and $1,628. 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.

$1,480 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $59,200 a year. Put another way, $28 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%$1,332	Voucher pays at 100%$1,480	Voucher pays at 110%$1,628
$2,500	$750	$582	$730	$878
$4,000	$1,200	$132	$280	$428

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 11% from FY 2026 ($1,331) to FY 2027 ($1,480). Since FY 2020 it's up 37% in total, about 4.6% 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	$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 2026	$964	$1,113	$1,331	$1,701	$1,996	-9.9%
FY 2027In effect	$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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Orleans, that runs from $1,096 for a studio up to $2,233 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 Orleans in with 5 other parishes in the New Orleans-Metairie metro, Jefferson Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. Bernard Parish among them, and every one of them gets $1,480 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, Orleans ranks 2nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 49% above the state median of $995 and about 39% above the national median county at $1,063. About 371,853 people live here, 3rd in the state.

Live asking rents in New Orleans

The county FMR next to what landlords are asking in New Orleans right now

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,210 in 70148 (New Orleans) and $2,220 in 70130 (New Orleans), with the 44 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
70112	New Orleans	$1,430	-3.4%
70113	New Orleans	$1,230	-16.9%
70114	New Orleans	$1,430	-3.4%
70115	New Orleans	$1,980	+33.8%
70116	New Orleans	$1,540	+4.1%
70117	New Orleans	$1,500	+1.4%
70118	New Orleans	$1,660	+12.2%
70119	New Orleans	$1,750	+18.2%
70122	New Orleans	$1,590	+7.4%
70124	New Orleans	$2,180	+47.3%
70125	New Orleans	$1,620	+9.5%
70126	New Orleans	$1,400	-5.4%
70127	New Orleans	$1,360	-8.1%
70128	New Orleans	$1,500	+1.4%
70129	New Orleans	$1,450	-2.0%
70130	New Orleans	$2,220	+50.0%
70131	New Orleans	$1,310	-11.5%
70139	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70142	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70143	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70145	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70146	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70148	New Orleans	$1,210	-18.2%
70150	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70151	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70152	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70153	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70154	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70156	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70157	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70158	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70159	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70160	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70161	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70162	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70163	New Orleans	$1,530	+3.4%
70164	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70165	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70166	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—
70167	New Orleans	$1,480County rate	—

Counties sharing the New Orleans-Metairie metro rate

HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,480 two-bedroom figure as Orleans.

Jefferson Parish

430,920 people

$1,480

St. Charles Parish

51,396 people

$1,480

St. Bernard Parish

44,419 people

$1,480

St. John the Baptist Parish

40,743 people

$1,480

Plaquemines Parish

22,803 people

$1,480

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Orleans.

Jefferson Parish

6 mi · 430,920 people

$1,480

same rate

St. Bernard Parish

9 mi · 44,419 people

$1,480

same rate

St. Charles Parish

19 mi · 51,396 people

$1,480

same rate

St. John the Baptist Parish

30 mi · 40,743 people

$1,480

same rate

St. Tammany Parish

34 mi · 272,421 people

$1,354

-9%

Lafourche Parish

35 mi · 96,252 people

$1,098

-26%

Plaquemines Parish

41 mi · 22,803 people

$1,480

same rate

St. James Parish

42 mi · 19,528 people

$1,165

-21%

Questions people ask

$1,480 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,096 for a studio, $1,229 for one bedroom, $1,900 for three and $2,233 for four.

Tools for this county

All Louisiana counties All states

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

Fair Market Rent in Orleans Parish, Louisiana (FY 2027)

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

Two-bedrooms in New Orleans are asking $1,623. HUD says $1,480.

What a voucher pays here

Rate history

About this rate

Rates by ZIP code

Counties sharing the New Orleans-Metairie metro rate

Nearby counties

Questions people ask

Tools for this county

What does a rental in Orleans actually go for?