HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Rockingham County, New Hampshire (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Rockingham County is $2,256 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$2,256
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$2,030 to $2,482
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$90,240
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in New Hampshire
1st of 10
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Rockingham moves to $2,289. That's up 1%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Rockingham actually rent for?
Search any address in Rockingham 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 | $1,620 | $1,458 to $1,782 | $64,800 | $31.15/hr | +12.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,728 | $1,555 to $1,901 | $69,120 | $33.23/hr | +12.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,256 | $2,030 to $2,482 | $90,240 | $43.38/hr | +13.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,792 | $2,513 to $3,071 | $111,680 | $53.69/hr | +12.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,022 | $2,720 to $3,324 | $120,880 | $58.12/hr | +10.3% |
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 | $3,475 | $3,128 to $3,823 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,929 | $3,536 to $4,322 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,382 | $3,944 to $4,820 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,835 | $4,352 to $5,319 |
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 Rockingham, that runs from $1,620 for a studio up to $3,022 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Rockingham is its own HUD metro area (Lawrence, MA-NH), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among New Hampshire's 10 counties, Rockingham ranks 1st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 18% above the state median of $1,918 and about 122% above the national median county at $1,018. About 317,163 people live here, 2nd in the state.
Rates by town
New Hampshire publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. The 37 towns in Rockingham County don't all get the same number. Two-bedroom rates run from $2,194 to $2,941 depending on the town, so the headline figure above is a population-weighted average and the town table is the one to use.
| Town | Population | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derry town | 34,335 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Salem town | 30,646 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Londonderry town | 26,217 | $1,681 | $1,692 | $2,220 | $3,069 | $3,080 |
| Portsmouth cityLowest | 22,332 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Hampton town | 16,366 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Exeter town | 16,098 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Windham town | 15,922 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Raymond town | 10,837 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Newmarket town | 9,431 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Hampstead town | 9,062 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Seabrook townHighest | 8,427 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Plaistow town | 7,850 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Stratham town | 7,742 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Epping town | 7,300 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Atkinson town | 7,222 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Sandown town | 6,590 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Kingston town | 6,261 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Auburn town | 6,031 | $1,681 | $1,692 | $2,220 | $3,069 | $3,080 |
| Rye town | 5,577 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Nottingham town | 5,304 | $1,681 | $1,692 | $2,220 | $3,069 | $3,080 |
| Chester town | 5,263 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Deerfield town | 4,901 | $1,681 | $1,692 | $2,220 | $3,069 | $3,080 |
| Newton town | 4,825 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Fremont town | 4,783 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Northwood town | 4,653 | $1,681 | $1,692 | $2,220 | $3,069 | $3,080 |
| Brentwood town | 4,575 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| North Hampton town | 4,537 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Danville town | 4,489 | $1,565 | $1,730 | $2,270 | $2,722 | $3,006 |
| Candia town | 4,087 | $1,681 | $1,692 | $2,220 | $3,069 | $3,080 |
| Greenland town | 4,070 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Hampton Falls town | 2,357 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| East Kingston town | 2,274 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Newfields town | 2,010 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Kensington town | 1,989 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| South Hampton town | 953 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| New Castle town | 948 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Newington town | 899 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,770 in 03826 (East Hampstead) and $3,410 in 03087 (Windham), with the 42 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03032 | Auburn | $2,810 | +24.6% |
| 03034 | Candia | $2,350 | +4.2% |
| 03036 | Chester | $2,440 | +8.2% |
| 03037 | Deerfield | $2,120 | -6.0% |
| 03038 | Derry | $2,030 | -10.0% |
| 03040 | East Candia | $2,256County rate | — |
| 03041 | East Derry | $2,220 | -1.6% |
| 03042 | Epping | $2,500 | +10.8% |
| 03044 | Fremont | $3,020 | +33.9% |
| 03053 | Londonderry | $2,360 | +4.6% |
| 03073 | North Salem | $2,220 | -1.6% |
| 03077 | Raymond | $2,160 | -4.3% |
| 03079 | Salem | $2,150 | -4.7% |
| 03087 | Windham | $3,410 | +51.2% |
| 03261 | Northwood | $1,820 | -19.3% |
| 03290 | Nottingham | $2,170 | -3.8% |
| 03291 | West Nottingham | $2,150 | -4.7% |
| 03801 | Portsmouth | $2,520 | +11.7% |
| 03802 | Portsmouth | $2,300 | +2.0% |
| 03803 | Portsmouth | $2,256County rate | — |
| 03804 | Portsmouth | $1,900 | -15.8% |
| 03811 | Atkinson | $1,910 | -15.3% |
| 03819 | Danville | $2,560 | +13.5% |
| 03826 | East Hampstead | $1,770 | -21.5% |
| 03827 | East Kingston | $2,560 | +13.5% |
| 03833 | Exeter | $2,560 | +13.5% |
| 03840 | Greenland | $2,870 | +27.2% |
| 03841 | Hampstead | $1,830 | -18.9% |
| 03842 | Hampton | $2,390 | +5.9% |
| 03843 | Hampton | $2,300 | +2.0% |
| 03844 | Hampton Falls | $2,560 | +13.5% |
| 03848 | Kingston | $1,810 | -19.8% |
| 03854 | New Castle | $3,290 | +45.8% |
| 03856 | Newfields | $2,850 | +26.3% |
| 03857 | Newmarket | $2,280 | +1.1% |
| 03858 | Newton | $2,560 | +13.5% |
| 03859 | Newton Junction | $2,220 | -1.6% |
| 03862 | North Hampton | $2,740 | +21.5% |
| 03865 | Plaistow | $2,160 | -4.3% |
| 03870 | Rye | $2,250 | -0.3% |
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 Rockingham somewhere between $2,030 and $2,482. 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.
$2,256 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $90,240 a year. Put another way, $43 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% ($2,030) | HAP at 100% ($2,256) | HAP at 110% ($2,482) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,280 | $1,506 | $1,732 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $830 | $1,056 | $1,282 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 13% from FY 2025 ($1,997) to FY 2026 ($2,256). Since FY 2020 it's up 57% in total, about 7.8% a year. The New Hampshire median moved up 25% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,027 | $1,119 | $1,434 | $1,880 | $2,104 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,025 | $1,135 | $1,457 | $1,908 | $2,153 | +1.6% |
| FY 2022 | $1,074 | $1,204 | $1,546 | $2,008 | $2,296 | +6.1% |
| FY 2023 | $1,214 | $1,350 | $1,731 | $2,211 | $2,523 | +12.0% |
| FY 2024 | $1,403 | $1,530 | $1,960 | $2,480 | $2,769 | +13.2% |
| FY 2025 | $1,447 | $1,537 | $1,997 | $2,492 | $2,741 | +1.9% |
| FY 2026 | $1,620 | $1,728 | $2,256 | $2,792 | $3,022 | +13.0% |
| FY 2027 | $1,652 | $1,756 | $2,289 | $2,791 | $3,049 | +1.5% |
Nearby counties
Strafford County
$2,19422 mi · pop 131,743
Hillsborough County
$2,05830 mi · pop 424,732
Merrimack County
$1,97440 mi · pop 155,018
Belknap County
$1,80042 mi · pop 64,300
Carroll County
$1,70959 mi · pop 51,259
Cheshire County
$1,92662 mi · pop 76,945
Sullivan County
$1,74764 mi · pop 43,529
Grafton County
$1,90976 mi · pop 91,759
Questions people ask
$2,256 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,620 for a studio, $1,728 for one bedroom, $2,792 for three and $3,022 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 Rockingham actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Rockingham for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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