HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Norfolk County, Massachusetts (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Norfolk County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $2,937 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Norfolk keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$2,937
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$2,643 to $3,231
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$117,480
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Massachusetts
3rd of 14
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Norfolk moves to $3,004. That's up 2%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Norfolk actually rent for?
Search any address in Norfolk 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 | $2,354 | $2,119 to $2,589 | $94,160 | $45.27/hr | +4.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,471 | $2,224 to $2,718 | $98,840 | $47.52/hr | +3.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,937 | $2,643 to $3,231 | $117,480 | $56.48/hr | +3.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,522 | $3,170 to $3,874 | $140,880 | $67.73/hr | +3.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,889 | $3,500 to $4,278 | $155,560 | $74.79/hr | +3.5% |
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 | $4,472 | $4,025 to $4,919 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $5,056 | $4,550 to $5,562 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $5,639 | $5,075 to $6,203 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $6,222 | $5,600 to $6,844 |
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 Norfolk, that runs from $2,354 for a studio up to $3,889 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 Norfolk in with 3 other counties in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro, Middlesex County, Essex County, Suffolk County among them, and every one of them gets $2,937 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 Massachusetts's 14 counties, Norfolk ranks 3rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 29% above the state median of $2,283 and about 189% above the national median county at $1,018. About 724,540 people live here, 5th in the state.
Rates by town
Massachusetts publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. The 28 towns in Norfolk County don't all get the same number. Two-bedroom rates run from $2,311 to $2,941 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy cityHighest | 101,361 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Brookline town | 62,822 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Weymouth Town city | 57,786 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Braintree Town city | 38,762 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Randolph city | 34,683 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Franklin Town city | 33,067 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Needham town | 32,059 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Norwood town | 31,380 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Wellesley town | 29,906 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Stoughton town | 29,074 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Milton town | 28,481 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Walpole town | 26,294 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Dedham town | 25,109 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Canton town | 24,459 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Foxborough town | 18,516 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Sharon town | 18,478 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Bellingham town | 17,160 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Westwood town | 16,213 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Medway town | 13,251 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Medfield town | 12,923 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Wrentham town | 12,305 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Norfolk town | 11,556 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Holbrook town | 11,320 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Plainville town | 9,872 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Millis town | 8,699 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Cohasset town | 8,358 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Dover town | 5,893 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Avon townLowest | 4,753 | $1,631 | $1,761 | $2,311 | $2,889 | $3,060 |
Counties sharing the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $2,560 in 02035 (Foxboro) and $4,250 in 02446 (Brookline), with the 44 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02019 | Bellingham | $2,590 | -11.8% |
| 02021 | Canton | $3,140 | +6.9% |
| 02025 | Cohasset | $3,170 | +7.9% |
| 02026 | Dedham | $2,870 | -2.3% |
| 02027 | Dedham | $2,900 | -1.3% |
| 02030 | Dover | $3,680 | +25.3% |
| 02032 | East Walpole | $2,860 | -2.6% |
| 02035 | Foxboro | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02038 | Franklin | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02052 | Medfield | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02053 | Medway | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02054 | Millis | $2,580 | -12.2% |
| 02056 | Norfolk | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02062 | Norwood | $2,820 | -4.0% |
| 02067 | Sharon | $3,300 | +12.4% |
| 02070 | Sheldonville | $2,900 | -1.3% |
| 02071 | South Walpole | $2,580 | -12.2% |
| 02072 | Stoughton | $2,750 | -6.4% |
| 02081 | Walpole | $2,620 | -10.8% |
| 02090 | Westwood | $3,210 | +9.3% |
| 02093 | Wrentham | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02169 | Quincy | $2,940 | +0.1% |
| 02170 | Quincy | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02171 | Quincy | $3,030 | +3.2% |
| 02184 | Braintree | $2,760 | -6.0% |
| 02185 | Braintree | $2,900 | -1.3% |
| 02186 | Milton | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02187 | Milton Village | $2,937County rate | — |
| 02188 | Weymouth | $2,710 | -7.7% |
| 02189 | East Weymouth | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02190 | South Weymouth | $2,610 | -11.1% |
| 02191 | North Weymouth | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02269 | Quincy | $2,900 | -1.3% |
| 02322 | Avon | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02343 | Holbrook | $2,560 | -12.8% |
| 02368 | Randolph | $2,880 | -1.9% |
| 02445 | Brookline | $3,960 | +34.8% |
| 02446 | Brookline | $4,250 | +44.7% |
| 02447 | Brookline Village | $2,900 | -1.3% |
| 02457 | Babson Park | $3,960 | +34.8% |
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 Norfolk somewhere between $2,643 and $3,231. 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.
$2,937 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $117,480 a year. Put another way, $56 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% ($2,643) | HAP at 100% ($2,937) | HAP at 110% ($3,231) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,893 | $2,187 | $2,481 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $1,443 | $1,737 | $2,031 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 4% from FY 2025 ($2,833) to FY 2026 ($2,937). Since FY 2020 it's up 27% in total, about 4.1% a year. The Massachusetts median held flat over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,711 | $1,895 | $2,306 | $2,874 | $3,125 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,737 | $1,919 | $2,331 | $2,900 | $3,162 | +1.1% |
| FY 2022 | $1,799 | $1,982 | $2,395 | $2,961 | $3,248 | +2.7% |
| FY 2023 | $2,020 | $2,193 | $2,630 | $3,202 | $3,535 | +9.8% |
| FY 2024 | $2,207 | $2,371 | $2,821 | $3,412 | $3,759 | +7.3% |
| FY 2025 | $2,259 | $2,389 | $2,833 | $3,413 | $3,756 | +0.4% |
| FY 2026 | $2,354 | $2,471 | $2,937 | $3,522 | $3,889 | +3.7% |
| FY 2027 | $2,435 | $2,514 | $3,004 | $3,580 | $3,948 | +2.3% |
Nearby counties
Suffolk County
$2,94111 mi · pop 782,172
Middlesex County
$2,82519 mi · pop 1,622,896
Plymouth County
$2,62922 mi · pop 531,889
Bristol County
$1,79828 mi · pop 578,436
Essex County
$2,68332 mi · pop 807,258
Worcester County
$1,99736 mi · pop 861,664
Barnstable County
$2,42256 mi · pop 230,073
Dukes County
$2,14360 mi · pop 20,751
Questions people ask
$2,937 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $2,354 for a studio, $2,471 for one bedroom, $3,522 for three and $3,889 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 Norfolk actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Norfolk for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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