HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in St. James Parish, Louisiana (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in St. James Parish carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $921 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in St. James keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$921
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$829 to $1,013
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$36,840
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Louisiana
36th of 64
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in St. James moves to $1,165. That's up 26%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in St. James actually rent for?
Search any address in St. James 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 | $697 | $627 to $767 | $27,880 | $13.40/hr | -1.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $702 | $632 to $772 | $28,080 | $13.50/hr | -5.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $921 | $829 to $1,013 | $36,840 | $17.71/hr | -5.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,281 | $1,153 to $1,409 | $51,240 | $24.63/hr | -5.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,315 | $1,184 to $1,447 | $52,600 | $25.29/hr | -9.8% |
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 | $1,512 | $1,361 to $1,663 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,710 | $1,539 to $1,881 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,907 | $1,716 to $2,098 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,104 | $1,894 to $2,314 |
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 St. James, that runs from $697 for a studio up to $1,315 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
St. James is its own HUD metro area (St. James Parish, LA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the parish rather than a wider region.
Among Louisiana's 64 counties, St. James ranks 36th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 3% below the state median of $946 and about 10% below the national median county at $1,018. About 20,090 people live here, 45th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $880 in 70086 (Saint James) and $1,340 in 70090 (Vacherie), with the 8 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.
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 St. James somewhere between $829 and $1,013. 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.
$921 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $36,840 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% ($829) | HAP at 100% ($921) | HAP at 110% ($1,013) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $79 | $171 | $263 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 5% from FY 2025 ($972) to FY 2026 ($921). Since FY 2020 it's up 14% in total, about 2.2% 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 | $585 | $614 | $809 | $1,008 | $1,197 | — |
| FY 2021 | $581 | $610 | $804 | $1,053 | $1,200 | -0.6% |
| FY 2022 | $590 | $621 | $817 | $1,124 | $1,220 | +1.6% |
| FY 2023 | $609 | $644 | $848 | $1,205 | $1,271 | +3.8% |
| FY 2024 | $681 | $715 | $940 | $1,325 | $1,408 | +10.8% |
| FY 2025 | $704 | $741 | $972 | $1,362 | $1,458 | +3.4% |
| FY 2026 | $697 | $702 | $921 | $1,281 | $1,315 | -5.2% |
| FY 2027 | $868 | $891 | $1,165 | $1,613 | $1,753 | +26.5% |
Nearby counties
St. John the Baptist Parish
$1,33112 mi · pop 41,986
Ascension Parish
$1,20416 mi · pop 126,973
Assumption Parish
$96718 mi · pop 21,067
St. Charles Parish
$1,33124 mi · pop 52,191
Lafourche Parish
$1,10229 mi · pop 97,220
Livingston Parish
$1,20430 mi · pop 143,425
Terrebonne Parish
$1,10231 mi · pop 108,862
Iberville Parish
$86636 mi · pop 30,210
Questions people ask
$921 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $697 for a studio, $702 for one bedroom, $1,281 for three and $1,315 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 St. James actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. James for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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