HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Saunders County, Nebraska (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Saunders County is $1,089 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,089
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$980 to $1,198
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$43,560
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Nebraska
11th of 93
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Saunders moves to $1,153. That's up 6%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Saunders actually rent for?
Search any address in Saunders 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 | $870 | $783 to $957 | $34,800 | $16.73/hr | +12.7% |
| 1 bedroom | $956 | $860 to $1,052 | $38,240 | $18.38/hr | +11.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,089 | $980 to $1,198 | $43,560 | $20.94/hr | +10.8% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,432 | $1,289 to $1,575 | $57,280 | $27.54/hr | +16.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,619 | $1,457 to $1,781 | $64,760 | $31.13/hr | +11.6% |
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 | $1,862 | $1,676 to $2,048 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,105 | $1,895 to $2,316 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,348 | $2,113 to $2,583 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,590 | $2,331 to $2,849 |
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 Saunders, that runs from $870 for a studio up to $1,619 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Saunders is its own HUD metro area (Saunders County, NE), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Nebraska's 93 counties, Saunders ranks 11th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 13% above the state median of $961 and about 7% above the national median county at $1,018. About 22,374 people live here, 14th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,020 in 68065 (Valparaiso) and $1,470 in 68073 (Yutan), with the 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68003 | Ashland | $1,040 | -4.5% |
| 68015 | Cedar Bluffs | $1,230 | +12.9% |
| 68017 | Ceresco | $1,140 | +4.7% |
| 68018 | Colon | $1,330 | +22.1% |
| 68033 | Ithaca | $1,090 | +0.1% |
| 68040 | Malmo | $1,240 | +13.9% |
| 68041 | Mead | $1,130 | +3.8% |
| 68042 | Memphis | $1,040 | -4.5% |
| 68050 | Prague | $1,180 | +8.4% |
| 68065 | Valparaiso | $1,020 | -6.3% |
| 68066 | Wahoo | $1,100 | +1.0% |
| 68070 | Weston | $1,140 | +4.7% |
| 68073 | Yutan | $1,470 | +35.0% |
| 68648 | Morse Bluff | $1,240 | +13.9% |
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 Saunders somewhere between $980 and $1,198. 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.
$1,089 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $43,560 a year. Put another way, $21 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% ($980) | HAP at 100% ($1,089) | HAP at 110% ($1,198) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $230 | $339 | $448 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 11% from FY 2025 ($983) to FY 2026 ($1,089). Since FY 2020 it's up 44% in total, about 6.2% a year. The Nebraska median moved up 6% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $522 | $575 | $757 | $1,092 | $1,295 | — |
| FY 2021 | $549 | $590 | $777 | $1,038 | $1,252 | +2.6% |
| FY 2022 | $553 | $599 | $768 | $988 | $1,235 | -1.2% |
| FY 2023 | $637 | $688 | $860 | $1,047 | $1,309 | +12.0% |
| FY 2024 | $709 | $769 | $925 | $1,142 | $1,354 | +7.6% |
| FY 2025 | $772 | $854 | $983 | $1,226 | $1,451 | +6.3% |
| FY 2026 | $870 | $956 | $1,089 | $1,432 | $1,619 | +10.8% |
| FY 2027 | $931 | $1,014 | $1,153 | $1,546 | $1,863 | +5.9% |
Nearby counties
Butler County
$96125 mi · pop 8,373
Dodge County
$1,13025 mi · pop 37,175
Washington County
$1,36829 mi · pop 20,884
Lancaster County
$1,14130 mi · pop 322,063
Sarpy County
$1,36830 mi · pop 191,272
Cass County
$1,36831 mi · pop 26,749
Douglas County
$1,36831 mi · pop 582,638
Colfax County
$1,09436 mi · pop 10,563
Questions people ask
$1,089 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $870 for a studio, $956 for one bedroom, $1,432 for three and $1,619 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 Saunders actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Saunders for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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