HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Los Alamos County, New Mexico (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Los Alamos County is $1,740 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,740
+23.5% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,566–$1,914
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$69,600
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in New Mexico
1st of 33
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Los Alamos moves to $1,874. That's up 8%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
FY 2026 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 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,200 | $1,080–$1,320 | $48,000 | $23.08/hr | +20.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,326 | $1,193–$1,459 | $53,040 | $25.50/hr | +23.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,740 | $1,566–$1,914 | $69,600 | $33.46/hr | +23.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,086 | $1,877–$2,295 | $83,440 | $40.12/hr | +22.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,843 | $2,559–$3,127 | $113,720 | $54.67/hr | +20.2% |
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 | $3,269 | $2,942–$3,596 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,696 | $3,326–$4,066 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,122 | $3,710–$4,534 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,549 | $4,094–$5,004 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Los Alamos actually rent for?
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What a voucher pays here
The FMR isn't the check you'd receive. Your local housing authority turns it into a payment standard, set between 90% and 110% of FMR, so a two-bedroom here lands between $1,566 and $1,914. Subtract about 30% of the tenant's income and that's the housing assistance payment. If you ask more than similar unassisted units rent for, the PHA's rent reasonableness check will push back.
At the standard 30% of income, a household needs about $69,600 a year to afford $1,740 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $33 an hour.
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%$1,566 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,740 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,914 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $816 | $990 | $1,164 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $366 | $540 | $714 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 23% from FY 2025 ($1,409) to FY 2026 ($1,740). Since FY 2020 it's up 57% in total, about 7.8% a year. The New Mexico median moved up 11% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $820 | $909 | $1,107 | $1,490 | $1,931 | — |
| FY 2021 | $859 | $944 | $1,182 | $1,583 | $2,046 | +6.8% |
| FY 2022 | $774 | $850 | $1,068 | $1,449 | $1,842 | -9.6% |
| FY 2023 | $860 | $936 | $1,195 | $1,598 | $2,036 | +11.9% |
| FY 2024 | $995 | $1,037 | $1,363 | $1,722 | $2,313 | +14.1% |
| FY 2025 | $997 | $1,074 | $1,409 | $1,698 | $2,366 | +3.4% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,200 | $1,326 | $1,740 | $2,086 | $2,843 | +23.5% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,305 | $1,433 | $1,874 | $2,233 | $3,132 | +7.7% |
About this rate
HUD sets Fair Market Rent once a year, based on what typical units in the area actually rent for, with utilities folded in. FY 2026 runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, and in Los Alamos County the five published rates run from $1,200 to $2,843, studio through four bedrooms.
Los Alamos is a nonmetro county, so HUD sets its FMR from rents in the county itself rather than a wider metro. The number applies county-wide, from Los Alamos on out.
The state median two-bedroom FMR is $1,040. Los Alamos comes in at $1,740, about 67% above that, and ranks 1st of 33 in New Mexico. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 71% above. Population is around 19,253.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs for the 2 ZIP codes it covers in Los Alamos. Two-bedroom rates run from $1,630 in 87547 (White Rock) to $1,730 in 87544 (Los Alamos), a $100 spread inside one county. Whether your housing authority uses the ZIP rate or the county rate depends on whether HUD has designated this area for Small Area FMRs. Ask the PHA which one it's on before you price a unit.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Los Alamos.
Santa Fe County
25 mi · 154,481 people
$1,685
-3%
Sandoval County
28 mi · 149,460 people
$1,464
-16%
Rio Arriba County
31 mi · 40,285 people
$973
-44%
Taos County
55 mi · 34,475 people
$1,279
-26%
Bernalillo County
58 mi · 674,692 people
$1,464
-16%
Mora County
62 mi · 4,208 people
$973
-44%
San Miguel County
62 mi · 27,215 people
$1,008
-42%
Torrance County
80 mi · 15,203 people
$1,464
-16%
Questions people ask
$1,740 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,200 for a studio, $1,326 for one bedroom, $2,086 for three and $2,843 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 Los Alamos actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Los Alamos for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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