HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Hancock County, Maine (FY 2027)
$1,484 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Hancock County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Hancock is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,484
-1.1% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,336–$1,632
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$59,360
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Maine
7th of 16
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 | $1,163 | $1,047–$1,279 | $46,520 | $22.37/hr | -5.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,171 | $1,054–$1,288 | $46,840 | $22.52/hr | -5.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,484 | $1,336–$1,632 | $59,360 | $28.54/hr | -1.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,050 | $1,845–$2,255 | $82,000 | $39.42/hr | +0.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,198 | $1,978–$2,418 | $87,920 | $42.27/hr | +7.0% |
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 | $2,528 | $2,275–$2,781 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,857 | $2,571–$3,143 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,187 | $2,868–$3,506 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,517 | $3,165–$3,869 |
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 Hancock actually rent for?
Search any address in Hancock 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 Hancock somewhere between $1,336 and $1,632. 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.
$1,484 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $59,360 a year. Put another way, $29 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%$1,336 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,484 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,632 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $586 | $734 | $882 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $136 | $284 | $432 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2026 ($1,501) to FY 2027 ($1,484). Since FY 2020 it's up 66% in total, about 7.5% a year. The Maine median moved down 4% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $726 | $759 | $894 | $1,133 | $1,230 | — |
| FY 2021 | $746 | $782 | $920 | $1,175 | $1,248 | +2.9% |
| FY 2022 | $785 | $813 | $959 | $1,252 | $1,300 | +4.2% |
| FY 2023 | $877 | $882 | $1,036 | $1,383 | $1,392 | +8.0% |
| FY 2024 | $996 | $1,002 | $1,188 | $1,576 | $1,582 | +14.7% |
| FY 2025 | $1,011 | $1,017 | $1,202 | $1,588 | $1,594 | +1.2% |
| FY 2026 | $1,227 | $1,234 | $1,501 | $2,047 | $2,055 | +24.9% |
| FY 2027In effect | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 | -1.1% |
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 Hancock, that runs from $1,163 for a studio up to $2,198 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Hancock sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a county-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the county, Castine included.
Among Maine's 16 counties, Hancock ranks 7th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 8% above the state median of $1,371 and about 40% above the national median county at $1,063. About 56,460 people live here, 8th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,360 in 04408 (Aurora) and $2,230 in 04677 (Sorrento), with the 43 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04408 | Aurora | $1,360 | -8.4% |
| 04416 | Bucksport | $1,360 | -8.4% |
| 04420 | Castine | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04421 | Castine | $1,430 | -3.6% |
| 04431 | East Orland | $1,640 | +10.5% |
| 04472 | Orland | $1,640 | +10.5% |
| 04476 | Penobscot | $1,470 | -0.9% |
| 04605 | Ellsworth | $1,460 | -1.6% |
| 04607 | Gouldsboro | $1,730 | +16.6% |
| 04609 | Bar Harbor | $1,730 | +16.6% |
| 04612 | Bernard | $1,360 | -8.4% |
| 04613 | Birch Harbor | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04614 | Blue Hill | $1,560 | +5.1% |
| 04616 | Brooklin | $1,740 | +17.3% |
| 04617 | Brooksville | $1,600 | +7.8% |
| 04624 | Corea | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04625 | Cranberry Isles | $1,430 | -3.6% |
| 04627 | Deer Isle | $1,640 | +10.5% |
| 04629 | East Blue Hill | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04634 | Franklin | $1,500 | +1.1% |
| 04635 | Frenchboro | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04640 | Hancock | $1,520 | +2.4% |
| 04642 | Harborside | $1,730 | +16.6% |
| 04644 | Hulls Cove | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04646 | Islesford | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04650 | Little Deer Isle | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04653 | Bass Harbor | $2,140 | +44.2% |
| 04660 | Mount Desert | $1,560 | +5.1% |
| 04662 | Northeast Harbor | $1,770 | +19.3% |
| 04664 | Sullivan | $1,490 | +0.4% |
| 04669 | Prospect Harbor | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04672 | Salsbury Cove | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04673 | Sargentville | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04674 | Seal Cove | $1,560 | +5.1% |
| 04675 | Seal Harbor | $1,630 | +9.8% |
| 04676 | Sedgwick | $1,480 | -0.3% |
| 04677 | Sorrento | $2,230 | +50.3% |
| 04679 | Southwest Harbor | $1,360 | -8.4% |
| 04681 | Stonington | $1,360 | -8.4% |
| 04683 | Sunset | $1,640 | +10.5% |
Rates by town
Maine publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. All 41 towns in Hancock County share the same rate for FY 2027, so the county number is the town number wherever you are.
| Town | Population | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth city | 8,657 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Bar Harbor town | 5,244 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Bucksport town | 5,016 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Blue Hill town | 2,813 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Hancock town | 2,518 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Deer Isle town | 2,470 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Orland town | 1,915 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Surry town | 1,836 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Lamoine town | 1,782 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Mount Desert town | 1,671 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Dedham town | 1,656 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Franklin town | 1,628 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Gouldsboro town | 1,615 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Trenton town | 1,599 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Southwest Harbor town | 1,553 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Tremont town | 1,508 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Castine town | 1,362 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Sedgwick town | 1,274 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Sullivan town | 1,246 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Penobscot town | 1,154 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Brooklin town | 869 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Brooksville town | 853 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Stonington town | 840 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Eastbrook town | 742 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Mariaville town | 724 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Otis town | 705 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Winter Harbor town | 493 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Verona Island town | 481 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Swans Island town | 438 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Amherst town | 424 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Waltham town | 346 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Sorrento town | 345 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Cranberry Isles town | 196 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Central Hancock UT | 153 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Aurora town | 132 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Osborn town | 88 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| East Hancock UT | 42 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Great Pond town | 42 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Frenchboro town | 30 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Marshall Island UT | 0 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
| Northwest Hancock UT | 0 | $1,163 | $1,171 | $1,484 | $2,050 | $2,198 |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Hancock.
Waldo County
35 mi · 40,192 people
$1,367
-8%
Knox County
40 mi · 41,003 people
$1,503
+1%
Penobscot County
51 mi · 154,710 people
$1,637
+10%
Washington County
59 mi · 31,331 people
$1,230
-17%
Lincoln County
62 mi · 36,099 people
$1,307
-12%
Kennebec County
67 mi · 126,808 people
$1,374
-7%
Somerset County
75 mi · 50,959 people
$1,242
-16%
Piscataquis County
77 mi · 17,263 people
$1,340
-10%
Questions people ask
$1,484 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,163 for a studio, $1,171 for one bedroom, $2,050 for three and $2,198 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 Hancock actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Hancock for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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