HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Charles County, Maryland (FY 2027)
$2,438 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Charles County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Charles is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$2,438
+8.5% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$2,194–$2,682
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$97,520
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Maryland
1st of 24
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 | $2,111 | $1,900–$2,322 | $84,440 | $40.60/hr | +8.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,204 | $1,984–$2,424 | $88,160 | $42.38/hr | +9.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,438 | $2,194–$2,682 | $97,520 | $46.88/hr | +8.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,107 | $2,796–$3,418 | $124,280 | $59.75/hr | +9.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,658 | $3,292–$4,024 | $146,320 | $70.35/hr | +9.8% |
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 | $4,207 | $3,786–$4,628 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $4,755 | $4,280–$5,231 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $5,304 | $4,774–$5,834 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $5,853 | $5,268–$6,438 |
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 Charles actually rent for?
Search any address in Charles 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 Charles somewhere between $2,194 and $2,682. 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.
$2,438 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $97,520 a year. Put another way, $47 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%$2,194 | Voucher pays at 100%$2,438 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,682 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,444 | $1,688 | $1,932 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $994 | $1,238 | $1,482 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 9% from FY 2026 ($2,246) to FY 2027 ($2,438). Since FY 2020 it's up 43% in total, about 5.2% a year. The Maryland median moved up 2% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,457 | $1,500 | $1,707 | $2,215 | $2,707 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,513 | $1,548 | $1,765 | $2,263 | $2,742 | +3.4% |
| FY 2022 | $1,539 | $1,567 | $1,785 | $2,260 | $2,713 | +1.1% |
| FY 2023 | $1,589 | $1,615 | $1,838 | $2,299 | $2,742 | +3.0% |
| FY 2024 | $1,772 | $1,803 | $2,045 | $2,544 | $3,015 | +11.3% |
| FY 2025 | $2,012 | $2,056 | $2,314 | $2,893 | $3,413 | +13.2% |
| FY 2026 | $1,953 | $2,015 | $2,246 | $2,835 | $3,332 | -2.9% |
| FY 2027In effect | $2,111 | $2,204 | $2,438 | $3,107 | $3,658 | +8.5% |
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 Charles, that runs from $2,111 for a studio up to $3,658 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Charles in with 18 other counties in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro, Fairfax County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County among them, and every one of them gets $2,438 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Maryland's 24 counties, Charles ranks 1st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 30% above the state median of $1,875 and about 129% above the national median county at $1,063. About 170,527 people live here, 10th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,960 in 20646 (La Plata) and $3,310 in 20637 (Hughesville), with the 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20601 | Waldorf | $2,590 | +6.2% |
| 20602 | Waldorf | $2,260 | -7.3% |
| 20603 | Waldorf | $2,510 | +3.0% |
| 20604 | Waldorf | $2,380 | -2.4% |
| 20611 | Bel Alton | $2,380 | -2.4% |
| 20612 | Benedict | $2,740 | +12.4% |
| 20616 | Bryans Road | $2,770 | +13.6% |
| 20617 | Bryantown | $2,860 | +17.3% |
| 20625 | Cobb Island | $2,350 | -3.6% |
| 20632 | Faulkner | $2,350 | -3.6% |
| 20637 | Hughesville | $3,310 | +35.8% |
| 20640 | Indian Head | $2,190 | -10.2% |
| 20643 | Ironsides | $2,438County rate | — |
| 20645 | Issue | $2,660 | +9.1% |
| 20646 | La Plata | $1,960 | -19.6% |
| 20658 | Marbury | $2,190 | -10.2% |
| 20661 | Mount Victoria | $2,380 | -2.4% |
| 20662 | Nanjemoy | $2,140 | -12.2% |
| 20664 | Newburg | $2,660 | +9.1% |
| 20675 | Pomfret | $2,230 | -8.5% |
| 20677 | Port Tobacco | $2,380 | -2.4% |
| 20682 | Rock Point | $2,438County rate | — |
| 20693 | Welcome | $2,380 | -2.4% |
| 20695 | White Plains | $2,480 | +1.7% |
Counties sharing the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $2,438 two-bedroom figure as Charles.
Fairfax County
VA · 1,147,837 people
$2,438
Montgomery County
1,065,949 people
$2,438
Prince George's County
959,754 people
$2,438
District of Columbia
DC · 681,294 people
$2,438
Prince William County
VA · 488,880 people
$2,438
Loudoun County
VA · 432,998 people
$2,438
Frederick County
287,048 people
$2,438
Arlington County
VA · 236,254 people
$2,438
Stafford County
VA · 163,466 people
$2,438
Alexandria city
VA · 156,976 people
$2,438
Spotsylvania County
VA · 146,603 people
$2,438
Fauquier County
VA · 74,577 people
$2,438
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Charles.
Calvert County
23 mi · 94,313 people
$1,890
-22%
St. Mary's County
26 mi · 115,126 people
$1,787
-27%
Prince George's County
28 mi · 959,754 people
$2,438
same rate
Anne Arundel County
41 mi · 598,166 people
$2,006
-18%
Montgomery County
42 mi · 1,065,949 people
$2,438
same rate
Talbot County
46 mi · 37,917 people
$1,421
-42%
Dorchester County
49 mi · 32,754 people
$1,159
-52%
Howard County
49 mi · 336,328 people
$2,006
-18%
Questions people ask
$2,438 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $2,111 for a studio, $2,204 for one bedroom, $3,107 for three and $3,658 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 Charles actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Charles for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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