HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Mercer County, Missouri (FY 2027)
$973 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Mercer County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Mercer is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$973
+9.6% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$876–$1,070
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$38,920
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Missouri
53rd 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 | $717 | $645–$789 | $28,680 | $13.79/hr | +8.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $744 | $670–$818 | $29,760 | $14.31/hr | +9.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $973 | $876–$1,070 | $38,920 | $18.71/hr | +9.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,263 | $1,137–$1,389 | $50,520 | $24.29/hr | +2.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,460 | $1,314–$1,606 | $58,400 | $28.08/hr | +10.6% |
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 | $1,679 | $1,511–$1,847 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,898 | $1,708–$2,088 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,117 | $1,905–$2,329 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,336 | $2,102–$2,570 |
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 Mercer actually rent for?
Search any address in Mercer 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 Mercer somewhere between $876 and $1,070. 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.
$973 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $38,920 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%$876 | Voucher pays at 100%$973 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,070 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $126 | $223 | $320 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 10% from FY 2026 ($888) to FY 2027 ($973). Since FY 2020 it's up 53% in total, about 6.3% 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 | $426 | $481 | $634 | $843 | $887 | — |
| FY 2021 | $457 | $502 | $662 | $894 | $898 | +4.4% |
| FY 2022 | $489 | $521 | $685 | $925 | $929 | +3.5% |
| FY 2023 | $549 | $567 | $746 | $998 | $1,002 | +8.9% |
| FY 2024 | $601 | $607 | $797 | $1,123 | $1,217 | +6.8% |
| FY 2025 | $615 | $628 | $824 | $1,155 | $1,242 | +3.4% |
| FY 2026 | $660 | $677 | $888 | $1,235 | $1,320 | +7.8% |
| FY 2027In effect | $717 | $744 | $973 | $1,263 | $1,460 | +9.6% |
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 Mercer, that runs from $717 for a studio up to $1,460 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Mercer sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a county-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the county, Mercer included.
Among Missouri's 116 counties, Mercer ranks 53rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $962 and about 8% below the national median county at $1,063. About 3,482 people live here, 114th 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 64673 (Princeton) and $1,300 in 64661 (Mercer), with the 2 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 Mercer.
Grundy County
23 mi · 9,787 people
$962
-1%
Harrison County
25 mi · 8,190 people
$962
-1%
Sullivan County
27 mi · 5,857 people
$962
-1%
Putnam County
29 mi · 4,642 people
$962
-1%
Daviess County
40 mi · 8,477 people
$962
-1%
Worth County
45 mi · 1,934 people
$1,003
+3%
Linn County
48 mi · 11,852 people
$962
-1%
Livingston County
48 mi · 14,364 people
$962
-1%
Questions people ask
$973 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $717 for a studio, $744 for one bedroom, $1,263 for three and $1,460 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 Mercer actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Mercer for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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