HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Mary Parish is $947 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$947
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$852 to $1,042
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$37,880
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Louisiana
32nd of 64
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in St. Mary moves to $997. That's up 5%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in St. Mary actually rent for?
Search any address in St. Mary 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 | $717 | $645 to $789 | $28,680 | $13.79/hr | -5.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $722 | $650 to $794 | $28,880 | $13.88/hr | -5.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $947 | $852 to $1,042 | $37,880 | $18.21/hr | -5.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,244 | $1,120 to $1,368 | $49,760 | $23.92/hr | -5.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,512 | $1,361 to $1,663 | $60,480 | $29.08/hr | -6.8% |
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 | $1,739 | $1,565 to $1,913 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,966 | $1,769 to $2,163 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,192 | $1,973 to $2,411 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,419 | $2,177 to $2,661 |
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. Mary, that runs from $717 for a studio up to $1,512 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because St. Mary sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a parish-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the parish, Morgan City included.
Among Louisiana's 64 counties, St. Mary ranks 32nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $946 and about 7% below the national median county at $1,018. About 49,114 people live here, 22nd 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 70342 (Berwick) and $1,020 in 70523 (Charenton), with the 10 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. Mary somewhere between $852 and $1,042. 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.
$947 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $37,880 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% ($852) | HAP at 100% ($947) | HAP at 110% ($1,042) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $102 | $197 | $292 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 6% from FY 2025 ($1,006) to FY 2026 ($947). Since FY 2020 it's up 7% in total, about 1.2% 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 | $712 | $724 | $883 | $1,145 | $1,422 | — |
| FY 2021 | $641 | $736 | $889 | $1,147 | $1,439 | +0.7% |
| FY 2022 | $568 | $676 | $828 | $1,045 | $1,296 | -6.9% |
| FY 2023 | $612 | $680 | $865 | $1,109 | $1,327 | +4.5% |
| FY 2024 | $711 | $740 | $959 | $1,241 | $1,534 | +10.9% |
| FY 2025 | $762 | $767 | $1,006 | $1,314 | $1,622 | +4.9% |
| FY 2026 | $717 | $722 | $947 | $1,244 | $1,512 | -5.9% |
| FY 2027 | $757 | $762 | $997 | $1,321 | $1,633 | +5.3% |
Nearby counties
Assumption Parish
$96724 mi · pop 21,067
Iberia Parish
$90529 mi · pop 69,958
Iberville Parish
$86639 mi · pop 30,210
Terrebonne Parish
$1,10239 mi · pop 108,862
Ascension Parish
$1,20441 mi · pop 126,973
St. James Parish
$92141 mi · pop 20,090
St. Martin Parish
$1,01944 mi · pop 51,856
West Baton Rouge Parish
$1,20448 mi · pop 27,377
Questions people ask
$947 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $717 for a studio, $722 for one bedroom, $1,244 for three and $1,512 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. Mary actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. Mary for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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