HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in St. Mary's County, Maryland (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in St. Mary's County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,833 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in St. Mary's keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,833
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,650 to $2,016
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$73,320
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Maryland
13th of 24
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in St. Mary's moves to $1,787. That's down 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in St. Mary's actually rent for?
Search any address in St. Mary's 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 | $1,394 | $1,255 to $1,533 | $55,760 | $26.81/hr | -6.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,672 | $1,505 to $1,839 | $66,880 | $32.15/hr | +3.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,833 | $1,650 to $2,016 | $73,320 | $35.25/hr | +0.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,264 | $2,038 to $2,490 | $90,560 | $43.54/hr | -0.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,889 | $2,600 to $3,178 | $115,560 | $55.56/hr | +2.5% |
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 | $3,322 | $2,990 to $3,654 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,756 | $3,380 to $4,132 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,189 | $3,770 to $4,608 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,622 | $4,160 to $5,084 |
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 St. Mary's, that runs from $1,394 for a studio up to $2,889 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
St. Mary's is its own HUD metro area (St. Mary's County, MD), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Maryland's 24 counties, St. Mary's ranks 13th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $1,845 and about 80% above the national median county at $1,018. About 113,814 people live here, 12th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,650 in 20618 (Bushwood) and $2,250 in 20670 (Patuxent River), with the 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20606 | Abell | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20609 | Avenue | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20618 | Bushwood | $1,650 | -10.0% |
| 20619 | California | $2,050 | +11.8% |
| 20620 | Callaway | $1,650 | -10.0% |
| 20621 | Chaptico | $1,800 | -1.8% |
| 20622 | Charlotte Hall | $1,790 | -2.3% |
| 20624 | Clements | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20626 | Coltons Point | $1,650 | -10.0% |
| 20627 | Compton | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20628 | Dameron | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20630 | Drayden | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20634 | Great Mills | $1,680 | -8.3% |
| 20635 | Helen | $1,833County rate | — |
| 20636 | Hollywood | $1,650 | -10.0% |
| 20650 | Leonardtown | $1,950 | +6.4% |
| 20653 | Lexington Park | $1,770 | -3.4% |
| 20656 | Loveville | $1,950 | +6.4% |
| 20659 | Mechanicsville | $1,890 | +3.1% |
| 20660 | Morganza | $1,920 | +4.7% |
| 20667 | Park Hall | $1,770 | -3.4% |
| 20670 | Patuxent River | $2,250 | +22.7% |
| 20674 | Piney Point | $1,860 | +1.5% |
| 20680 | Ridge | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20684 | Saint Inigoes | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20686 | Saint Marys City | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20687 | Scotland | $1,830 | -0.2% |
| 20690 | Tall Timbers | $1,860 | +1.5% |
| 20692 | Valley Lee | $1,820 | -0.7% |
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 St. Mary's somewhere between $1,650 and $2,016. 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.
$1,833 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $73,320 a year. Put another way, $35 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% ($1,650) | HAP at 100% ($1,833) | HAP at 110% ($2,016) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $900 | $1,083 | $1,266 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $450 | $633 | $816 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 0% from FY 2025 ($1,831) to FY 2026 ($1,833). Since FY 2020 it's up 38% in total, about 5.5% a year. The Maryland median moved down 3% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $865 | $1,091 | $1,328 | $1,856 | $2,275 | — |
| FY 2021 | $891 | $1,102 | $1,343 | $1,892 | $2,258 | +1.1% |
| FY 2022 | $1,058 | $1,126 | $1,372 | $1,920 | $2,218 | +2.2% |
| FY 2023 | $1,304 | $1,323 | $1,597 | $2,168 | $2,475 | +16.4% |
| FY 2024 | $1,470 | $1,492 | $1,755 | $2,277 | $2,662 | +9.9% |
| FY 2025 | $1,493 | $1,624 | $1,831 | $2,285 | $2,818 | +4.3% |
| FY 2026 | $1,394 | $1,672 | $1,833 | $2,264 | $2,889 | +0.1% |
| FY 2027 | $1,328 | $1,642 | $1,787 | $2,242 | $2,853 | -2.5% |
Nearby counties
Calvert County
$2,08319 mi · pop 93,244
Charles County
$2,24626 mi · pop 167,035
Dorchester County
$1,14432 mi · pop 32,557
Talbot County
$1,40941 mi · pop 37,663
Somerset County
$1,16743 mi · pop 24,672
Prince George's County
$2,24647 mi · pop 957,189
Anne Arundel County
$1,85752 mi · pop 588,109
Wicomico County
$1,37852 mi · pop 103,815
Questions people ask
$1,833 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,394 for a studio, $1,672 for one bedroom, $2,264 for three and $2,889 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.
What does a rental in St. Mary's actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. Mary's for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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