HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Cooper County, Missouri (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Cooper County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $958 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Cooper keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$958
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$862 to $1,054
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$38,320
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Missouri
32nd of 116
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Cooper moves to $962. That's unchanged. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Cooper actually rent for?
Search any address in Cooper 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 | $668 | $601 to $735 | $26,720 | $12.85/hr | +18.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $730 | $657 to $803 | $29,200 | $14.04/hr | +16.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $958 | $862 to $1,054 | $38,320 | $18.42/hr | +16.3% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,182 | $1,064 to $1,300 | $47,280 | $22.73/hr | +15.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,497 | $1,347 to $1,647 | $59,880 | $28.79/hr | +8.3% |
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 | $1,722 | $1,550 to $1,894 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,946 | $1,751 to $2,141 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,171 | $1,954 to $2,388 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,395 | $2,156 to $2,635 |
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 Cooper, that runs from $668 for a studio up to $1,497 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Cooper is its own HUD metro area (Cooper County, MO), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Missouri's 116 counties, Cooper ranks 32nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 8% above the state median of $888 and about 6% below the national median county at $1,018. About 16,893 people live here, 63rd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $890 in 65068 (Prairie Home) and $1,230 in 65322 (Blackwater), with the 7 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.
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 Cooper somewhere between $862 and $1,054. 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.
$958 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $38,320 a year. Put another way, $18 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% ($862) | HAP at 100% ($958) | HAP at 110% ($1,054) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $112 | $208 | $304 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 16% from FY 2025 ($824) to FY 2026 ($958). Since FY 2020 it's up 51% in total, about 7.1% a year. The Missouri median moved up 8% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $426 | $483 | $634 | $877 | $936 | — |
| FY 2021 | $471 | $518 | $683 | $935 | $1,050 | +7.7% |
| FY 2022 | $534 | $543 | $713 | $957 | $1,169 | +4.4% |
| FY 2023 | $550 | $600 | $777 | $1,039 | $1,324 | +9.0% |
| FY 2024 | $555 | $628 | $819 | $1,042 | $1,390 | +5.4% |
| FY 2025 | $565 | $628 | $824 | $1,027 | $1,382 | +0.6% |
| FY 2026 | $668 | $730 | $958 | $1,182 | $1,497 | +16.3% |
| FY 2027 | $695 | $735 | $962 | $1,278 | $1,387 | +0.4% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$958 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $668 for a studio, $730 for one bedroom, $1,182 for three and $1,497 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 Cooper actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Cooper for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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