HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Cascade County, Montana (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in Cascade County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,308 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Cascade keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,308
+1.9% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,177–$1,439
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$52,320
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Montana
30th of 56
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 | $993 | $894–$1,092 | $39,720 | $19.10/hr | +3.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,000 | $900–$1,100 | $40,000 | $19.23/hr | +2.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,308 | $1,177–$1,439 | $52,320 | $25.15/hr | +1.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,811 | $1,630–$1,992 | $72,440 | $34.83/hr | +1.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,988 | $1,789–$2,187 | $79,520 | $38.23/hr | -2.3% |
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 | $2,286 | $2,057–$2,515 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,584 | $2,326–$2,842 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,883 | $2,595–$3,171 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,181 | $2,863–$3,499 |
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 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.
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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 Cascade somewhere between $1,177 and $1,439. 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.
$1,308 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $52,320 a year. Put another way, $25 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%$1,177 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,308 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,439 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $427 | $558 | $689 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $108 | $239 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 2% from FY 2026 ($1,284) to FY 2027 ($1,308). Since FY 2020 it's up 75% in total, about 8.3% a year. The Montana median held flat over the same year.
| Fiscal 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 2027In effect | $993 | $1,000 | $1,308 | $1,811 | $1,988 | +1.9% |
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 Cascade, that runs from $993 for a studio up to $1,988 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 30th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $1,310 and about 23% above the national median county at $1,063. About 84,606 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 $1,160 in 59401 (Great Falls) and $1,960 in 59485 (Ulm), 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 | $1,160 | -11.3% |
| 59402 | Malmstrom Afb | $1,308County rate | — |
| 59403 | Great Falls | $1,310 | +0.2% |
| 59404 | Great Falls | $1,550 | +18.5% |
| 59405 | Great Falls | $1,320 | +0.9% |
| 59406 | Great Falls | $1,310 | +0.2% |
| 59412 | Belt | $1,220 | -6.7% |
| 59414 | Black Eagle | $1,280 | -2.1% |
| 59421 | Cascade | $1,350 | +3.2% |
| 59443 | Fort Shaw | $1,440 | +10.1% |
| 59463 | Monarch | $1,310 | +0.2% |
| 59465 | Neihart | $1,310 | +0.2% |
| 59472 | Sand Coulee | $1,340 | +2.4% |
| 59477 | Simms | $1,330 | +1.7% |
| 59480 | Stockett | $1,310 | +0.2% |
| 59483 | Sun River | $1,470 | +12.4% |
| 59485 | Ulm | $1,960 | +49.8% |
| 59487 | Vaughn | $1,260 | -3.7% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Cascade.
Chouteau County
43 mi · 5,906 people
$1,310
same rate
Teton County
44 mi · 6,353 people
$1,363
+4%
Judith Basin County
55 mi · 2,071 people
$1,162
-11%
Lewis and Clark County
59 mi · 73,464 people
$1,653
+26%
Pondera County
65 mi · 6,035 people
$1,257
-4%
Meagher County
72 mi · 2,007 people
$1,396
+7%
Broadwater County
78 mi · 7,668 people
$1,755
+34%
Powell County
87 mi · 7,053 people
$1,136
-13%
Questions people ask
$1,308 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $993 for a studio, $1,000 for one bedroom, $1,811 for three and $1,988 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 Cascade actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Cascade for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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