How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Lake County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,303 to $1,593. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Lake County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Lake those run from $1,300 to $2,010 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Lake County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Montana figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in Lake County, Montana (FY 2027)

$1,448 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lake County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Lake is measured against.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,448

+0.3% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,303–$1,593

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$57,920

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Montana

15th 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	$1,116	$1,004–$1,228	$44,640	$21.46/hr	+1.7%
1 bedroom	$1,123	$1,011–$1,235	$44,920	$21.60/hr	+1.7%
2 bedroom	$1,448	$1,303–$1,593	$57,920	$27.85/hr	+0.3%
3 bedroom	$1,821	$1,639–$2,003	$72,840	$35.02/hr	-2.4%
4 bedroom	$2,046	$1,841–$2,251	$81,840	$39.35/hr	+2.8%

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	$2,353	$2,118–$2,588
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,660	$2,394–$2,926
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,967	$2,670–$3,264
8 bedroom Estimate	$3,274	$2,947–$3,601

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 Lake actually rent for?

Search any address in Lake 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 Lake somewhere between $1,303 and $1,593. 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.

$1,448 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $57,920 a year. Put another way, $28 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%$1,303	Voucher pays at 100%$1,448	Voucher pays at 110%$1,593
$2,500	$750	$553	$698	$843
$4,000	$1,200	$103	$248	$393

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 0% from FY 2026 ($1,444) to FY 2027 ($1,448). Since FY 2020 it's up 73% in total, about 8.1% 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	$547	$661	$839	$1,075	$1,209	—
FY 2021	$558	$656	$846	$1,069	$1,177	+0.8%
FY 2022	$534	$637	$804	$1,001	$1,090	-5.0%
FY 2023	$594	$719	$888	$1,110	$1,193	+10.4%
FY 2024	$633	$743	$934	$1,175	$1,244	+5.2%
FY 2025	$1,055	$1,077	$1,400	$1,766	$1,856	+49.9%
FY 2026	$1,097	$1,104	$1,444	$1,865	$1,990	+3.1%
FY 2027In effect	$1,116	$1,123	$1,448	$1,821	$2,046	+0.3%

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 Lake, that runs from $1,116 for a studio up to $2,046 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Because Lake 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, Arlee included.

Among Montana's 56 counties, Lake ranks 15th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 11% above the state median of $1,310 and about 36% above the national median county at $1,063. About 32,561 people live here, 9th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,300 in 59824 (Charlo) and $2,010 in 59914 (Dayton), with the 12 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
59821	Arlee	$1,670	+15.3%
59824	Charlo	$1,300	-10.2%
59855	Pablo	$1,300	-10.2%
59860	Polson	$1,460	+0.8%
59863	Ravalli	$1,360	-6.1%
59864	Ronan	$1,400	-3.3%
59865	Saint Ignatius	$1,300	-10.2%
59910	Big Arm	$1,560	+7.7%
59914	Dayton	$2,010	+38.8%
59915	Elmo	$1,540	+6.4%
59929	Proctor	$1,450	+0.1%
59931	Rollins	$1,450	+0.1%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Lake.

Sanders County

43 mi · 13,285 people

$1,117

-23%

Flathead County

47 mi · 110,695 people

$1,682

+16%

Missoula County

48 mi · 120,672 people

$1,690

+17%

Mineral County

49 mi · 4,959 people

$1,390

-4%

Lincoln County

86 mi · 21,175 people

$1,173

-19%

Granite County

88 mi · 3,462 people

$1,055

-27%

Glacier County

90 mi · 13,637 people

$1,278

-12%

Powell County

94 mi · 7,053 people

$1,136

-22%

Questions people ask

$1,448 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,116 for a studio, $1,123 for one bedroom, $1,821 for three and $2,046 for four.

Tools for this county

All Montana counties All states

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