HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Cascade County, Montana (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Cascade County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,284 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Cascade keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,284
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,156 to $1,412
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$51,360
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Montana
31st of 56
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Cascade moves to $1,308. 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 Cascade actually rent for?
Search any address in Cascade 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 | $960 | $864 to $1,056 | $38,400 | $18.46/hr | +6.3% |
| 1 bedroom | $979 | $881 to $1,077 | $39,160 | $18.83/hr | +3.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,284 | $1,156 to $1,412 | $51,360 | $24.69/hr | +3.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,786 | $1,607 to $1,965 | $71,440 | $34.35/hr | +2.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,035 | $1,832 to $2,239 | $81,400 | $39.13/hr | +2.9% |
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 | $2,340 | $2,106 to $2,574 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,646 | $2,381 to $2,911 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,951 | $2,656 to $3,246 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,256 | $2,930 to $3,582 |
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 Cascade, that runs from $960 for a studio up to $2,035 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Cascade is its own HUD metro area (Great Falls, MT), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Montana's 56 counties, Cascade ranks 31st for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $1,307 and about 26% above the national median county at $1,018. About 84,423 people live here, 5th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,130 in 59401 (Great Falls) and $1,430 in 59404 (Great Falls), with the 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59401 | Great Falls | $1,130 | -12.0% |
| 59402 | Malmstrom Afb | $1,284County rate | — |
| 59403 | Great Falls | $1,280 | -0.3% |
| 59404 | Great Falls | $1,430 | +11.4% |
| 59405 | Great Falls | $1,290 | +0.5% |
| 59406 | Great Falls | $1,280 | -0.3% |
| 59412 | Belt | $1,300 | +1.2% |
| 59414 | Black Eagle | $1,140 | -11.2% |
| 59421 | Cascade | $1,370 | +6.7% |
| 59443 | Fort Shaw | $1,390 | +8.3% |
| 59463 | Monarch | $1,280 | -0.3% |
| 59465 | Neihart | $1,280 | -0.3% |
| 59472 | Sand Coulee | $1,290 | +0.5% |
| 59477 | Simms | $1,340 | +4.4% |
| 59480 | Stockett | $1,300 | +1.2% |
| 59483 | Sun River | $1,340 | +4.4% |
| 59485 | Ulm | $1,380 | +7.5% |
| 59487 | Vaughn | $1,220 | -5.0% |
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 Cascade somewhere between $1,156 and $1,412. 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.
$1,284 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $51,360 a year. Put another way, $25 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% ($1,156) | HAP at 100% ($1,284) | HAP at 110% ($1,412) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $406 | $534 | $662 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $84 | $212 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($1,244) to FY 2026 ($1,284). Since FY 2020 it's up 71% in total, about 9.4% a year. The Montana median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $565 | $569 | $749 | $1,048 | $1,285 | — |
| FY 2021 | $609 | $613 | $808 | $1,126 | $1,359 | +7.9% |
| FY 2022 | $638 | $652 | $849 | $1,190 | $1,393 | +5.1% |
| FY 2023 | $666 | $701 | $914 | $1,292 | $1,446 | +7.7% |
| FY 2024 | $708 | $745 | $979 | $1,380 | $1,560 | +7.1% |
| FY 2025 | $903 | $948 | $1,244 | $1,743 | $1,977 | +27.1% |
| FY 2026 | $960 | $979 | $1,284 | $1,786 | $2,035 | +3.2% |
| FY 2027 | $993 | $1,000 | $1,308 | $1,811 | $1,988 | +1.9% |
Nearby counties
Chouteau County
$1,30743 mi · pop 5,897
Teton County
$1,36044 mi · pop 6,238
Judith Basin County
$1,16055 mi · pop 2,039
Lewis and Clark County
$1,64759 mi · pop 71,487
Pondera County
$1,25465 mi · pop 5,987
Meagher County
$1,39372 mi · pop 1,948
Broadwater County
$1,74878 mi · pop 6,977
Powell County
$1,13387 mi · pop 6,998
Questions people ask
$1,284 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $960 for a studio, $979 for one bedroom, $1,786 for three and $2,035 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 Cascade actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Cascade for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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