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

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,183 to $1,445. 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 Caroline County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Caroline those run from $1,170 to $1,990 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 Caroline 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 Maryland figures are loaded.

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

$1,320 for a two-bedroom, effective October 1, 2026. Studio $1,002, one bedroom $1,009, three $1,623, four $2,188.

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

Fair Market Rent in Caroline County, Maryland (FY 2026)

$1,314 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Caroline County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Caroline is measured against.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,314

+1.5% from FY 2025

Payment standard

$1,183–$1,445

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$52,560

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Maryland

17th of 24

by two-bedroom FMR, highest first

FY 2027

HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Caroline moves to $1,320. That's unchanged. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.

FY 2026 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 2025
Studio	$995	$896–$1,095	$39,800	$19.13/hr	+1.4%
1 bedroom	$1,001	$901–$1,101	$40,040	$19.25/hr	+1.4%
2 bedroom	$1,314	$1,183–$1,445	$52,560	$25.27/hr	+1.5%
3 bedroom	$1,642	$1,478–$1,806	$65,680	$31.58/hr	-2.7%
4 bedroom	$2,184	$1,966–$2,402	$87,360	$42.00/hr	+1.4%

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	$2,512	$2,261–$2,763
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,839	$2,555–$3,123
7 bedroom Estimate	$3,167	$2,850–$3,484
8 bedroom Estimate	$3,494	$3,145–$3,843

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Caroline actually rent for?

Search any address in Caroline for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.

No card needed

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 Caroline somewhere between $1,183 and $1,445. 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.

$1,314 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $52,560 a year. Put another way, $25 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%$1,183	Voucher pays at 100%$1,314	Voucher pays at 110%$1,445
$2,500	$750	$433	$564	$695
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$114	$245

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2025 ($1,295) to FY 2026 ($1,314). Since FY 2020 it's up 36% in total, about 5.3% a year. The Maryland median moved down 3% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$727	$732	$964	$1,263	$1,514	—
FY 2021	$677	$711	$937	$1,238	$1,524	-2.8%
FY 2022	$723	$728	$958	$1,312	$1,600	+2.2%
FY 2023	$794	$800	$1,052	$1,426	$1,790	+9.8%
FY 2024	$931	$938	$1,232	$1,669	$2,058	+17.1%
FY 2025	$981	$987	$1,295	$1,688	$2,153	+5.1%
FY 2026In effect	$995	$1,001	$1,314	$1,642	$2,184	+1.5%
FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026	$1,002	$1,009	$1,320	$1,623	$2,188	+0.5%

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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Caroline, that runs from $995 for a studio up to $2,184 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Because Caroline 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, Bethlehem included.

Among Maryland's 24 counties, Caroline ranks 17th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 29% below the state median of $1,845 and about 29% above the national median county at $1,018. About 33,320 people live here, 20th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,170 in 21641 (Hillsboro) and $1,990 in 21649 (Marydel), with the 9 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
21609	Bethlehem	$1,314County rate	—
21629	Denton	$1,400	+6.5%
21632	Federalsburg	$1,210	-7.9%
21636	Goldsboro	$1,530	+16.4%
21639	Greensboro	$1,310	-0.3%
21640	Henderson	$1,840	+40.0%
21641	Hillsboro	$1,170	-11.0%
21649	Marydel	$1,990	+51.4%
21655	Preston	$1,430	+8.8%
21660	Ridgely	$1,250	-4.9%
21670	Templeville	$1,314County rate	—

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Caroline.

Queen Anne's County

14 mi · 50,316 people

$1,857

+41%

Talbot County

22 mi · 37,663 people

$1,409

+7%

Kent County

26 mi · 19,289 people

$1,246

-5%

Dorchester County

34 mi · 32,557 people

$1,144

-13%

Wicomico County

40 mi · 103,815 people

$1,378

+5%

Anne Arundel County

41 mi · 588,109 people

$1,857

+41%

Cecil County

44 mi · 103,876 people

$1,810

+38%

Calvert County

47 mi · 93,244 people

$2,083

+59%

Questions people ask

$1,314 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $995 for a studio, $1,001 for one bedroom, $1,642 for three and $2,184 for four.

Tools for this county

All Maryland counties All states

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