HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Brunswick County, North Carolina (FY 2026)
$1,426 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Brunswick County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Brunswick is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,426
+11.2% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,283–$1,569
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$57,040
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in North Carolina
18th of 100
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Brunswick moves to $1,574. That's up 10%. 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 | $1,242 | $1,118–$1,366 | $49,680 | $23.88/hr | +17.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,301 | $1,171–$1,431 | $52,040 | $25.02/hr | +12.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,426 | $1,283–$1,569 | $57,040 | $27.42/hr | +11.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,983 | $1,785–$2,181 | $79,320 | $38.13/hr | +10.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,392 | $2,153–$2,631 | $95,680 | $46.00/hr | +11.1% |
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 | $2,751 | $2,476–$3,026 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,110 | $2,799–$3,421 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,468 | $3,121–$3,815 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,827 | $3,444–$4,210 |
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 Brunswick actually rent for?
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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 Brunswick somewhere between $1,283 and $1,569. 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.
$1,426 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $57,040 a year. Put another way, $27 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%$1,283 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,426 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,569 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $533 | $676 | $819 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $83 | $226 | $369 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 11% from FY 2025 ($1,282) to FY 2026 ($1,426). Since FY 2020 it's up 69% in total, about 9.1% a year. The North Carolina median moved up 4% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $664 | $700 | $845 | $1,146 | $1,405 | — |
| FY 2021 | $698 | $720 | $841 | $1,171 | $1,456 | -0.5% |
| FY 2022 | $786 | $813 | $926 | $1,315 | $1,585 | +10.1% |
| FY 2023 | $820 | $844 | $953 | $1,354 | $1,623 | +2.9% |
| FY 2024 | $951 | $1,008 | $1,132 | $1,595 | $1,921 | +18.8% |
| FY 2025 | $1,057 | $1,158 | $1,282 | $1,796 | $2,153 | +13.3% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,242 | $1,301 | $1,426 | $1,983 | $2,392 | +11.2% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,388 | $1,446 | $1,574 | $2,062 | $2,407 | +10.4% |
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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Brunswick, that runs from $1,242 for a studio up to $2,392 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Brunswick is its own HUD metro area (Brunswick County, NC), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Brunswick ranks 18th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 31% above the state median of $1,086 and about 40% above the national median county at $1,018. About 139,721 people live here, 22nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,160 in 28462 (Supply) and $1,660 in 28404 (Wilmington), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28404 | Wilmington | $1,660 | +16.4% |
| 28420 | Ash | $1,200 | -15.8% |
| 28422 | Bolivia | $1,630 | +14.3% |
| 28451 | Leland | $1,620 | +13.6% |
| 28452 | Longwood | $1,200 | -15.8% |
| 28459 | Shallotte | $1,430 | +0.3% |
| 28461 | Southport | $1,570 | +10.1% |
| 28462 | Supply | $1,160 | -18.7% |
| 28465 | Oak Island | $1,410 | -1.1% |
| 28467 | Calabash | $1,550 | +8.7% |
| 28468 | Sunset Beach | $1,510 | +5.9% |
| 28469 | Ocean Isle Beach | $1,190 | -16.5% |
| 28470 | Shallotte | $1,270 | -10.9% |
| 28479 | Winnabow | $1,420 | -0.4% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Brunswick.
New Hanover County
26 mi · 228,134 people
$1,659
+16%
Columbus County
28 mi · 50,827 people
$925
-35%
Pender County
41 mi · 61,592 people
$1,166
-18%
Bladen County
44 mi · 29,807 people
$925
-35%
Sampson County
64 mi · 59,317 people
$925
-35%
Duplin County
67 mi · 49,312 people
$980
-31%
Onslow County
69 mi · 203,686 people
$1,173
-18%
Robeson County
70 mi · 117,573 people
$925
-35%
Questions people ask
$1,426 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,242 for a studio, $1,301 for one bedroom, $1,983 for three and $2,392 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 Brunswick actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Brunswick for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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