HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Strafford County, New Hampshire (FY 2026)
$2,194 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Strafford County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Strafford is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$2,194
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,975 to $2,413
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$87,760
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in New Hampshire
2nd of 10
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Strafford moves to $2,093. That's down 5%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Strafford actually rent for?
Search any address in Strafford 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 | $1,601 | $1,441 to $1,761 | $64,040 | $30.79/hr | +8.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,677 | $1,509 to $1,845 | $67,080 | $32.25/hr | +10.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,194 | $1,975 to $2,413 | $87,760 | $42.19/hr | +11.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,693 | $2,424 to $2,962 | $107,720 | $51.79/hr | +10.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,941 | $2,647 to $3,235 | $117,640 | $56.56/hr | +7.0% |
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 | $3,382 | $3,044 to $3,720 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,823 | $3,441 to $4,205 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,264 | $3,838 to $4,690 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,706 | $4,235 to $5,177 |
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 Strafford, that runs from $1,601 for a studio up to $2,941 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Strafford is its own HUD metro area (Portsmouth-Rochester, NH), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among New Hampshire's 10 counties, Strafford ranks 2nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 14% above the state median of $1,918 and about 116% above the national median county at $1,018. About 131,743 people live here, 4th in the state.
Rates by town
New Hampshire publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. All 13 towns in Strafford County share the same rate for FY 2026, so the county number is the town number wherever you are.
| Town | Population | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover city | 33,070 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Rochester city | 32,866 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Durham town | 15,054 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Somersworth city | 12,060 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Barrington town | 9,420 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Farmington town | 6,786 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Lee town | 4,558 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Milton town | 4,531 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Strafford town | 4,271 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| New Durham town | 2,735 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Rollinsford town | 2,617 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Madbury town | 2,121 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 |
| Middleton town | 1,654 | $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 03835 (Farmington) and $2,530 in 03825 (Barrington), with the 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03815 | Center Strafford | $2,020 | -7.9% |
| 03820 | Dover | $2,120 | -3.4% |
| 03821 | Dover | $2,020 | -7.9% |
| 03822 | Dover | $2,194County rate | — |
| 03823 | Madbury | $2,260 | +3.0% |
| 03824 | Durham | $2,060 | -6.1% |
| 03825 | Barrington | $2,530 | +15.3% |
| 03835 | Farmington | $1,770 | -19.3% |
| 03839 | Rochester | $1,890 | -13.9% |
| 03851 | Milton | $1,770 | -19.3% |
| 03852 | Milton Mills | $1,770 | -19.3% |
| 03855 | New Durham | $1,990 | -9.3% |
| 03866 | Rochester | $2,020 | -7.9% |
| 03867 | Rochester | $1,840 | -16.1% |
| 03868 | Rochester | $1,770 | -19.3% |
| 03869 | Rollinsford | $2,010 | -8.4% |
| 03878 | Somersworth | $2,000 | -8.8% |
| 03884 | Strafford | $2,340 | +6.7% |
| 03887 | Union | $2,130 | -2.9% |
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 Strafford somewhere between $1,975 and $2,413. 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.
$2,194 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $87,760 a year. Put another way, $42 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% ($1,975) | HAP at 100% ($2,194) | HAP at 110% ($2,413) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,225 | $1,444 | $1,663 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $775 | $994 | $1,213 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 12% from FY 2025 ($1,961) to FY 2026 ($2,194). Since FY 2020 it's up 67% in total, about 8.9% 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 | $1,000 | $1,029 | $1,315 | $1,795 | $2,212 | — |
| FY 2021 | $969 | $1,033 | $1,330 | $1,803 | $2,226 | +1.1% |
| FY 2022 | $977 | $1,092 | $1,399 | $1,871 | $2,295 | +5.2% |
| FY 2023 | $1,112 | $1,232 | $1,563 | $2,034 | $2,488 | +11.7% |
| FY 2024 | $1,481 | $1,582 | $2,003 | $2,557 | $2,999 | +28.2% |
| FY 2025 | $1,475 | $1,517 | $1,961 | $2,429 | $2,749 | -2.1% |
| FY 2026 | $1,601 | $1,677 | $2,194 | $2,693 | $2,941 | +11.9% |
| FY 2027 | $1,489 | $1,600 | $2,093 | $2,494 | $2,813 | -4.6% |
Nearby counties
Rockingham County
$2,25622 mi · pop 317,163
Belknap County
$1,80027 mi · pop 64,300
Merrimack County
$1,97437 mi · pop 155,018
Carroll County
$1,70938 mi · pop 51,259
Hillsborough County
$2,05843 mi · pop 424,732
Grafton County
$1,90962 mi · pop 91,759
Sullivan County
$1,74762 mi · pop 43,529
Cheshire County
$1,92670 mi · pop 76,945
Questions people ask
$2,194 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,601 for a studio, $1,677 for one bedroom, $2,693 for three and $2,941 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 Strafford actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Strafford for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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