HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Charles County, Maryland (FY 2026)
$2,246 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 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
$2,246
-2.9% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$2,021–$2,471
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$89,840
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Maryland
1st of 24
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Charles moves to $2,438. That's up 9%. 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 | $1,953 | $1,758–$2,148 | $78,120 | $37.56/hr | -2.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,015 | $1,814–$2,217 | $80,600 | $38.75/hr | -2.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,246 | $2,021–$2,471 | $89,840 | $43.19/hr | -2.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,835 | $2,552–$3,119 | $113,400 | $54.52/hr | -2.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,332 | $2,999–$3,665 | $133,280 | $64.08/hr | -2.4% |
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 | $3,832 | $3,449–$4,215 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $4,332 | $3,899–$4,765 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,831 | $4,348–$5,314 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $5,331 | $4,798–$5,864 |
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 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 $2,021 and $2,471. 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.
$2,246 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $89,840 a year. Put another way, $43 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%$2,021 | Voucher pays at 100%$2,246 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,471 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,271 | $1,496 | $1,721 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $821 | $1,046 | $1,271 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 3% from FY 2025 ($2,314) to FY 2026 ($2,246). Since FY 2020 it's up 32% in total, about 4.7% 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 | $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 2026In effect | $1,953 | $2,015 | $2,246 | $2,835 | $3,332 | -2.9% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Charles, that runs from $1,953 for a studio up to $3,332 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 $2,246 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 22% above the state median of $1,845 and about 121% above the national median county at $1,018. About 167,035 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 $1,860 in 20646 (La Plata) and $3,190 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 | $2,330 | +3.7% |
| 20602 | Waldorf | $2,090 | -6.9% |
| 20603 | Waldorf | $2,300 | +2.4% |
| 20604 | Waldorf | $2,190 | -2.5% |
| 20611 | Bel Alton | $2,190 | -2.5% |
| 20612 | Benedict | $2,680 | +19.3% |
| 20616 | Bryans Road | $2,520 | +12.2% |
| 20617 | Bryantown | $2,700 | +20.2% |
| 20625 | Cobb Island | $2,130 | -5.2% |
| 20632 | Faulkner | $2,160 | -3.8% |
| 20637 | Hughesville | $3,190 | +42.0% |
| 20640 | Indian Head | $2,070 | -7.8% |
| 20643 | Ironsides | $2,246County rate | — |
| 20645 | Issue | $2,390 | +6.4% |
| 20646 | La Plata | $1,860 | -17.2% |
| 20658 | Marbury | $2,070 | -7.8% |
| 20661 | Mount Victoria | $2,190 | -2.5% |
| 20662 | Nanjemoy | $2,020 | -10.1% |
| 20664 | Newburg | $2,390 | +6.4% |
| 20675 | Pomfret | $2,110 | -6.1% |
| 20677 | Port Tobacco | $2,190 | -2.5% |
| 20682 | Rock Point | $2,246County rate | — |
| 20693 | Welcome | $2,190 | -2.5% |
| 20695 | White Plains | $2,330 | +3.7% |
Counties sharing the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $2,246 two-bedroom figure as Charles.
Fairfax County
VA · 1,145,354 people
$2,246
Montgomery County
1,056,910 people
$2,246
Prince George's County
957,189 people
$2,246
District of Columbia
DC · 670,587 people
$2,246
Prince William County
VA · 481,114 people
$2,246
Loudoun County
VA · 420,773 people
$2,246
Frederick County
273,829 people
$2,246
Arlington County
VA · 235,845 people
$2,246
Stafford County
VA · 157,606 people
$2,246
Alexandria city
VA · 157,594 people
$2,246
Spotsylvania County
VA · 141,097 people
$2,246
Fauquier County
VA · 73,290 people
$2,246
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Charles.
Calvert County
23 mi · 93,244 people
$2,083
-7%
St. Mary's County
26 mi · 113,814 people
$1,833
-18%
Prince George's County
28 mi · 957,189 people
$2,246
same rate
Anne Arundel County
41 mi · 588,109 people
$1,857
-17%
Montgomery County
42 mi · 1,056,910 people
$2,246
same rate
Talbot County
46 mi · 37,663 people
$1,409
-37%
Dorchester County
49 mi · 32,557 people
$1,144
-49%
Howard County
49 mi · 332,011 people
$1,857
-17%
Questions people ask
$2,246 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,953 for a studio, $2,015 for one bedroom, $2,835 for three and $3,332 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. 3 free searches, no card.
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