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

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,032 to $1,262. 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.

Does Alexander County have its own Fair Market Rent?

No. It uses the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro rate, shared with 3 other counties. HUD sets one FMR for the whole metro area, so Alexander gets the same $1,147 two-bedroom figure as Catawba County.

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

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Alexander those run from $1,010 to $1,210 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 Alexander 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 North Carolina figures are loaded.

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

Fair Market Rent in Alexander County, North Carolina (FY 2027)

A two-bedroom in Alexander County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,147 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Alexander keys off that figure.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,147

+4.7% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,032–$1,262

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

Income to afford

$45,880

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in North Carolina

47th of 100

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	$961	$865–$1,057	$38,440	$18.48/hr	+12.0%
1 bedroom	$965	$869–$1,062	$38,600	$18.56/hr	+6.3%
2 bedroom	$1,147	$1,032–$1,262	$45,880	$22.06/hr	+4.7%
3 bedroom	$1,399	$1,259–$1,539	$55,960	$26.90/hr	+2.0%
4 bedroom	$1,707	$1,536–$1,878	$68,280	$32.83/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	$1,963	$1,767–$2,159
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,219	$1,997–$2,441
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,475	$2,228–$2,723
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,731	$2,458–$3,004

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 Alexander actually rent for?

Search any address in Alexander 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 Alexander somewhere between $1,032 and $1,262. 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.

$1,147 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $45,880 a year. Put another way, $22 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%$1,032	Voucher pays at 100%$1,147	Voucher pays at 110%$1,262
$2,500	$750	$282	$397	$512
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$0	$62

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2026 ($1,095) to FY 2027 ($1,147). Since FY 2020 it's up 61% in total, about 7.0% a year. The North Carolina median moved up 5% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$569	$573	$712	$918	$1,035	—
FY 2021	$557	$560	$693	$899	$1,029	-2.7%
FY 2022	$589	$592	$724	$943	$1,085	+4.5%
FY 2023	$646	$650	$791	$1,033	$1,179	+9.3%
FY 2024	$806	$834	$1,014	$1,314	$1,506	+28.2%
FY 2025	$818	$851	$1,046	$1,334	$1,567	+3.2%
FY 2026	$858	$908	$1,095	$1,372	$1,660	+4.7%
FY 2027In effect	$961	$965	$1,147	$1,399	$1,707	+4.7%

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 Alexander, that runs from $961 for a studio up to $1,707 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Alexander in with 3 other counties in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro, Catawba County, Burke County, Caldwell County among them, and every one of them gets $1,147 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.

Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Alexander ranks 47th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $1,145 and about 8% above the national median county at $1,063. About 36,412 people live here, 67th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,010 in 28681 (Taylorsville) and $1,210 in 28636 (Hiddenite), with the 3 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
28636	Hiddenite	$1,210	+5.5%
28678	Stony Point	$1,210	+5.5%
28681	Taylorsville	$1,010	-11.9%

Counties sharing the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro rate

HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,147 two-bedroom figure as Alexander.

Catawba County

163,573 people

$1,147

Burke County

87,795 people

$1,147

Caldwell County

80,536 people

$1,147

Nearby counties

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

Iredell County

16 mi · 196,544 people

$1,429

+25%

Catawba County

17 mi · 163,573 people

$1,147

same rate

Wilkes County

21 mi · 65,935 people

$1,012

-12%

Caldwell County

24 mi · 80,536 people

$1,147

same rate

Lincoln County

30 mi · 92,716 people

$1,138

-1%

Yadkin County

30 mi · 37,574 people

$1,332

+16%

Burke County

31 mi · 87,795 people

$1,147

same rate

Davie County

33 mi · 44,122 people

$1,332

+16%

Questions people ask

$1,147 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $961 for a studio, $965 for one bedroom, $1,399 for three and $1,707 for four.

Tools for this county

All North Carolina 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

Fair Market Rent in Alexander County, North Carolina (FY 2027)

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Alexander actually rent for?

What a voucher pays here

Rate history

About this rate

Rates by ZIP code

Counties sharing the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro rate

Nearby counties

Questions people ask

Tools for this county

What does a rental in Alexander actually go for?