HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Rapides Parish, Louisiana (FY 2026)
$994 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Rapides Parish, and it's the baseline every voucher in Rapides is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$994
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$895 to $1,093
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$39,760
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Louisiana
30th of 64
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Rapides moves to $995. 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 Rapides actually rent for?
Search any address in Rapides 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 | $728 | $655 to $801 | $29,120 | $14.00/hr | +2.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $780 | $702 to $858 | $31,200 | $15.00/hr | +2.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $994 | $895 to $1,093 | $39,760 | $19.12/hr | -0.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,342 | $1,208 to $1,476 | $53,680 | $25.81/hr | -0.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,523 | $1,371 to $1,675 | $60,920 | $29.29/hr | +0.7% |
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 | $1,751 | $1,576 to $1,926 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,980 | $1,782 to $2,178 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,208 | $1,987 to $2,429 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,437 | $2,193 to $2,681 |
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 Rapides, that runs from $728 for a studio up to $1,523 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 Rapides in with one other parish in the Alexandria metro, Grant Parish among them, and every one of them gets $994 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, Rapides ranks 30th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 5% above the state median of $946 and about 2% below the national median county at $1,018. About 129,536 people live here, 11th in the state.
Counties sharing the Alexandria metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $900 in 71325 (Cheneyville) and $1,160 in 71303 (Alexandria), with the 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71301 | Alexandria | $980 | -1.4% |
| 71302 | Alexandria | $910 | -8.5% |
| 71303 | Alexandria | $1,160 | +16.7% |
| 71306 | Alexandria | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71307 | Alexandria | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71309 | Alexandria | $994County rate | — |
| 71315 | Alexandria | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71325 | Cheneyville | $900 | -9.5% |
| 71328 | Deville | $1,010 | +1.6% |
| 71330 | Echo | $900 | -9.5% |
| 71346 | Lecompte | $900 | -9.5% |
| 71348 | Libuse | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71359 | Pineville | $970 | -2.4% |
| 71360 | Pineville | $970 | -2.4% |
| 71361 | Pineville | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71365 | Ruby | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71405 | Ball | $1,050 | +5.6% |
| 71409 | Boyce | $940 | -5.4% |
| 71424 | Elmer | $930 | -6.4% |
| 71427 | Flatwoods | $940 | -5.4% |
| 71430 | Forest Hill | $1,120 | +12.7% |
| 71431 | Gardner | $994County rate | — |
| 71433 | Glenmora | $900 | -9.5% |
| 71438 | Hineston | $1,050 | +5.6% |
| 71447 | Lena | $1,050 | +5.6% |
| 71448 | Longleaf | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71466 | Otis | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71472 | Sieper | $930 | -6.4% |
| 71477 | Tioga | $1,000 | +0.6% |
| 71485 | Woodworth | $1,020 | +2.6% |
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 Rapides somewhere between $895 and $1,093. 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.
$994 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $39,760 a year. Put another way, $19 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% ($895) | HAP at 100% ($994) | HAP at 110% ($1,093) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $145 | $244 | $343 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2025 ($1,000) to FY 2026 ($994). Since FY 2020 it's up 25% in total, about 3.8% a year. The Louisiana median moved down 4% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $517 | $640 | $794 | $1,044 | $1,184 | — |
| FY 2021 | $540 | $650 | $819 | $1,085 | $1,198 | +3.1% |
| FY 2022 | $543 | $637 | $818 | $1,097 | $1,195 | -0.1% |
| FY 2023 | $601 | $683 | $899 | $1,219 | $1,307 | +9.9% |
| FY 2024 | $674 | $757 | $995 | $1,343 | $1,489 | +10.7% |
| FY 2025 | $710 | $762 | $1,000 | $1,354 | $1,513 | +0.5% |
| FY 2026 | $728 | $780 | $994 | $1,342 | $1,523 | -0.6% |
| FY 2027 | $757 | $796 | $995 | $1,341 | $1,468 | +0.1% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$994 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $728 for a studio, $780 for one bedroom, $1,342 for three and $1,523 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 Rapides actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Rapides for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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