How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Penobscot County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,403 to $1,715. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Penobscot County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Penobscot those run from $1,040 to $2,270 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Penobscot County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Maine figures are loaded.

What is the FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for Penobscot County?

$1,637 for a two-bedroom, effective October 1, 2026. Studio $1,206, one bedroom $1,291, three $2,141, four $2,345.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026

Fair Market Rent in Penobscot County, Maine (FY 2026)

HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Penobscot County is $1,559 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.

2 bedroom FMR

$1,559

FY 2026, utilities included

Payment standard range

$1,403 to $1,715

90% to 110% of FMR

Income to afford 2BR

$62,360

per year, at 30% of income

Rank in Maine

5th of 16

by 2BR FMR

FY 2027 published

HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Penobscot moves to $1,637. 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 Penobscot actually rent for?

Search any address in Penobscot 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	$1,145	$1,031 to $1,260	$45,800	$22.02/hr	+19.1%
1 bedroom	$1,218	$1,096 to $1,340	$48,720	$23.42/hr	+18.7%
2 bedroom	$1,559	$1,403 to $1,715	$62,360	$29.98/hr	+17.8%
3 bedroom	$2,007	$1,806 to $2,208	$80,280	$38.60/hr	+19.0%
4 bedroom	$2,155	$1,940 to $2,371	$86,200	$41.44/hr	+18.0%

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	$2,478	$2,230 to $2,726
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,802	$2,522 to $3,082
7 bedroom Estimate	$3,125	$2,813 to $3,438
8 bedroom Estimate	$3,448	$3,103 to $3,793

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 Penobscot, that runs from $1,145 for a studio up to $2,155 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Penobscot is its own HUD metro area (Bangor, ME), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among Maine's 16 counties, Penobscot ranks 5th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 9% above the state median of $1,429 and about 53% above the national median county at $1,018. About 153,571 people live here, 3rd in the state.

Rates by town

Maine publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. The 67 towns in Penobscot County don't all get the same number. Two-bedroom rates run from $1,392 to $1,659 depending on the town, so the headline figure above is a population-weighted average and the town table is the one to use.

Town	Population	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR
Bangor cityHighest	31,663	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Orono town	11,693	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Brewer city	9,654	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Hampden town	7,831	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Old Town city	7,439	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Hermon town	6,618	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Lincoln townLowest	4,857	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Glenburn town	4,701	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Millinocket town	4,111	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Orrington town	3,837	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Dexter town	3,812	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Holden town	3,326	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Newport town	3,145	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Milford town	3,083	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Levant town	3,012	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Corinth town	2,942	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Carmel town	2,901	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Eddington town	2,273	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Corinna town	2,079	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Veazie town	1,866	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Bradley town	1,561	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
East Millinocket town	1,545	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Newburgh town	1,491	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Greenbush town	1,437	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Enfield town	1,411	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Howland town	1,320	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Plymouth town	1,319	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Kenduskeag town	1,306	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Etna town	1,245	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Dixmont town	1,241	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Hudson town	1,203	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Charleston town	1,189	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Bradford town	1,180	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Patten town	1,161	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Exeter town	1,132	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Clifton town	1,101	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Stetson town	1,087	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Medway town	1,027	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Lee town	934	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Garland town	819	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Alton town	783	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Lagrange town	746	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Mattawamkeag town	641	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
North Penobscot UT	581	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Chester town	564	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Penobscot Indian Island Reservation	532	$1,244	$1,313	$1,659	$2,133	$2,242
Stacyville town	499	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Passadumkeag town	380	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Lowell town	379	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Burlington town	335	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
East Central Penobscot UT	322	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Springfield town	306	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Mount Chase town	291	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Argyle UT	277	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Winn town	273	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Woodville town	198	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Kingman UT	176	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Prentiss UT	164	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Edinburg town	144	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Carroll plantation	132	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Maxfield town	93	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Lakeville town	78	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Webster plantation	62	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Seboeis plantation	34	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Drew plantation	29	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Twombly UT	0	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010
Whitney UT	0	$982	$1,061	$1,392	$1,799	$2,010

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,040 in 04462 (Millinocket) and $2,270 in 04489 (Stillwater), with the 47 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
04401	Bangor	$1,680	+7.8%
04402	Bangor	$1,610	+3.3%
04410	Bradford	$1,420	-8.9%
04411	Bradley	$1,660	+6.5%
04412	Brewer	$1,600	+2.6%
04417	Burlington	$1,160	-25.6%
04418	Greenbush	$1,320	-15.3%
04419	Carmel	$1,870	+19.9%
04422	Charleston	$1,770	+13.5%
04427	Corinth	$1,390	-10.8%
04428	Eddington	$1,720	+10.3%
04429	Holden	$1,840	+18.0%
04430	East Millinocket	$1,140	-26.9%
04434	Etna	$1,670	+7.1%
04435	Exeter	$1,980	+27.0%
04444	Hampden	$1,570	+0.7%
04448	Howland	$1,430	-8.3%
04449	Hudson	$1,840	+18.0%
04450	Kenduskeag	$1,620	+3.9%
04451	Kingman	$1,510	-3.1%
04453	Lagrange	$1,320	-15.3%
04455	Lee	$1,630	+4.6%
04456	Levant	$1,890	+21.2%
04457	Lincoln	$1,290	-17.3%
04459	Mattawamkeag	$1,590	+2.0%
04460	Medway	$1,290	-17.3%
04461	Milford	$1,610	+3.3%
04462	Millinocket	$1,040	-33.3%
04468	Old Town	$1,670	+7.1%
04469	Orono	$1,740	+11.6%
04473	Orono	$1,780	+14.2%
04474	Orrington	$1,780	+14.2%
04475	Passadumkeag	$1,360	-12.8%
04487	Springfield	$1,630	+4.6%
04488	Stetson	$1,580	+1.3%
04489	Stillwater	$2,270	+45.6%
04493	West Enfield	$1,160	-25.6%
04495	Winn	$1,630	+4.6%
04765	Patten	$1,110	-28.8%
04777	Stacyville	$1,630	+4.6%

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 Penobscot somewhere between $1,403 and $1,715. 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.

$1,559 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $62,360 a year. Put another way, $30 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% ($1,403)	HAP at 100% ($1,559)	HAP at 110% ($1,715)
$2,500	$750	$653	$809	$965
$4,000	$1,200	$203	$359	$515

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 18% from FY 2025 ($1,323) to FY 2026 ($1,559). Since FY 2020 it's up 75% in total, about 9.8% a year. The Maine median moved up 20% over the same year.

Year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$620	$694	$892	$1,112	$1,425	—
FY 2021	$664	$761	$984	$1,223	$1,515	+10.3%
FY 2022	$710	$803	$1,043	$1,294	$1,522	+6.0%
FY 2023	$770	$845	$1,096	$1,379	$1,537	+5.1%
FY 2024	$827	$903	$1,164	$1,475	$1,610	+6.2%
FY 2025	$961	$1,026	$1,323	$1,686	$1,827	+13.7%
FY 2026	$1,145	$1,218	$1,559	$2,007	$2,155	+17.8%
FY 2027	$1,206	$1,291	$1,637	$2,141	$2,345	+5.0%

Nearby counties

Piscataquis County

$1,419

31 mi · pop 17,125

Waldo County

$1,438

45 mi · pop 40,006

Somerset County

$1,266

48 mi · pop 50,852

Hancock County

$1,501

51 mi · pop 56,084

Washington County

$1,252

62 mi · pop 31,261

Kennebec County

$1,416

69 mi · pop 125,614

Knox County

$1,526

71 mi · pop 40,860

Franklin County

$1,322

78 mi · pop 30,145

Questions people ask

$1,559 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,145 for a studio, $1,218 for one bedroom, $2,007 for three and $2,155 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.

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