HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Howard County, Missouri (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in Howard County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $990 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Howard keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$990
-5.2% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$891–$1,089
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$39,600
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Missouri
48th of 116
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 | $689 | $620–$758 | $27,560 | $13.25/hr | -4.3% |
| 1 bedroom | $757 | $681–$833 | $30,280 | $14.56/hr | -4.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $990 | $891–$1,089 | $39,600 | $19.04/hr | -5.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,180 | $1,062–$1,298 | $47,200 | $22.69/hr | -5.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,536 | $1,382–$1,690 | $61,440 | $29.54/hr | +11.1% |
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 | $1,766 | $1,589–$1,943 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,997 | $1,797–$2,197 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,227 | $2,004–$2,450 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,458 | $2,212–$2,704 |
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 Howard actually rent for?
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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 Howard somewhere between $891 and $1,089. 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.
$990 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $39,600 a year. Put another way, $19 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%$891 | Voucher pays at 100%$990 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,089 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $141 | $240 | $339 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 5% from FY 2026 ($1,044) to FY 2027 ($990). Since FY 2020 it's up 43% in total, about 5.2% a year. The Missouri median moved up 8% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $523 | $526 | $693 | $870 | $939 | — |
| FY 2021 | $521 | $524 | $691 | $904 | $937 | -0.3% |
| FY 2022 | $516 | $524 | $689 | $931 | $934 | -0.3% |
| FY 2023 | $556 | $596 | $785 | $1,034 | $1,231 | +13.9% |
| FY 2024 | $584 | $656 | $862 | $1,042 | $1,348 | +9.8% |
| FY 2025 | $625 | $695 | $912 | $1,099 | $1,214 | +5.8% |
| FY 2026 | $720 | $796 | $1,044 | $1,252 | $1,382 | +14.5% |
| FY 2027In effect | $689 | $757 | $990 | $1,180 | $1,536 | -5.2% |
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 Howard, that runs from $689 for a studio up to $1,536 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Howard is its own HUD metro area (Howard County, MO), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Missouri's 116 counties, Howard ranks 48th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 3% above the state median of $962 and about 7% below the national median county at $1,063. About 10,147 people live here, 85th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $960 in 65230 (Armstrong) and $1,020 in 65248 (Fayette), with the 5 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.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Howard.
Cooper County
20 mi · 16,824 people
$962
-3%
Saline County
23 mi · 23,231 people
$962
-3%
Randolph County
24 mi · 24,365 people
$962
-3%
Boone County
26 mi · 188,043 people
$1,076
+9%
Chariton County
30 mi · 7,390 people
$962
-3%
Moniteau County
35 mi · 15,262 people
$963
-3%
Pettis County
41 mi · 43,397 people
$1,068
+8%
Carroll County
44 mi · 8,411 people
$962
-3%
Questions people ask
$990 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $689 for a studio, $757 for one bedroom, $1,180 for three and $1,536 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 Howard actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Howard for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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