HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in St. James Parish, Louisiana (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in St. James Parish carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,165 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in St. James keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,165
+26.5% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,049–$1,282
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$46,600
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Louisiana
10th 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 | $868 | $781–$955 | $34,720 | $16.69/hr | +24.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $891 | $802–$980 | $35,640 | $17.13/hr | +26.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,165 | $1,049–$1,282 | $46,600 | $22.40/hr | +26.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,613 | $1,452–$1,774 | $64,520 | $31.02/hr | +25.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,753 | $1,578–$1,928 | $70,120 | $33.71/hr | +33.3% |
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 | $2,016 | $1,814–$2,218 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,279 | $2,051–$2,507 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,542 | $2,288–$2,796 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,805 | $2,525–$3,086 |
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 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.
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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 St. James somewhere between $1,049 and $1,282. 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.
$1,165 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $46,600 a year. Put another way, $22 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%$1,049 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,165 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,282 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $299 | $415 | $532 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $82 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 26% from FY 2026 ($921) to FY 2027 ($1,165). Since FY 2020 it's up 44% in total, about 5.3% 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 | $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 2027In effect | $868 | $891 | $1,165 | $1,613 | $1,753 | +26.5% |
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 St. James, that runs from $868 for a studio up to $1,753 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 10th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 17% above the state median of $995 and about 10% above the national median county at $1,063. About 19,528 people live here, 46th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $910 in 70086 (Saint James) and $1,530 in 70071 (Lutcher), 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.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to St. James.
St. John the Baptist Parish
12 mi · 40,743 people
$1,480
+27%
Ascension Parish
16 mi · 130,314 people
$1,149
-1%
Assumption Parish
18 mi · 20,484 people
$932
-20%
St. Charles Parish
24 mi · 51,396 people
$1,480
+27%
Lafourche Parish
29 mi · 96,252 people
$1,098
-6%
Livingston Parish
30 mi · 148,115 people
$1,149
-1%
Terrebonne Parish
31 mi · 106,186 people
$1,098
-6%
Iberville Parish
36 mi · 29,815 people
$892
-23%
Questions people ask
$1,165 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $868 for a studio, $891 for one bedroom, $1,613 for three and $1,753 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 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. Free to start, no card.
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