HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Lincoln County, North Carolina (FY 2026)
$1,054 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lincoln County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Lincoln is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,054
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$949 to $1,159
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$42,160
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in North Carolina
52nd of 100
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Lincoln moves to $1,138. That's up 8%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Lincoln actually rent for?
Search any address in Lincoln 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 | $917 | $825 to $1,009 | $36,680 | $17.63/hr | -9.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $953 | $858 to $1,048 | $38,120 | $18.33/hr | -9.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,054 | $949 to $1,159 | $42,160 | $20.27/hr | -10.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,461 | $1,315 to $1,607 | $58,440 | $28.10/hr | -10.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,728 | $1,555 to $1,901 | $69,120 | $33.23/hr | -0.2% |
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 | $1,987 | $1,788 to $2,186 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,246 | $2,021 to $2,471 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,506 | $2,255 to $2,757 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,765 | $2,489 to $3,042 |
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 Lincoln, that runs from $917 for a studio up to $1,728 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Lincoln is its own HUD metro area (Lincoln County, NC), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Lincoln ranks 52nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 3% below the state median of $1,086 and about 4% above the national median county at $1,018. About 87,933 people live here, 32nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $960 in 28033 (Crouse) and $1,280 in 28080 (Iron Station), with the 6 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.
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 Lincoln somewhere between $949 and $1,159. 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.
$1,054 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $42,160 a year. Put another way, $20 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% ($949) | HAP at 100% ($1,054) | HAP at 110% ($1,159) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $199 | $304 | $409 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 10% from FY 2025 ($1,171) to FY 2026 ($1,054). Since FY 2020 it's up 32% in total, about 4.7% a year. The North Carolina median moved up 4% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $654 | $658 | $800 | $1,082 | $1,347 | — |
| FY 2021 | $678 | $682 | $843 | $1,111 | $1,257 | +5.4% |
| FY 2022 | $669 | $673 | $816 | $1,054 | $1,132 | -3.2% |
| FY 2023 | $794 | $798 | $924 | $1,200 | $1,241 | +13.2% |
| FY 2024 | $944 | $970 | $1,089 | $1,436 | $1,450 | +17.9% |
| FY 2025 | $1,018 | $1,058 | $1,171 | $1,623 | $1,731 | +7.5% |
| FY 2026 | $917 | $953 | $1,054 | $1,461 | $1,728 | -10.0% |
| FY 2027 | $1,003 | $1,045 | $1,138 | $1,576 | $1,902 | +8.0% |
Nearby counties
Gaston County
$1,68612 mi · pop 228,972
Catawba County
$1,09513 mi · pop 161,011
Cleveland County
$92522 mi · pop 99,527
Mecklenburg County
$1,68628 mi · pop 1,115,403
Iredell County
$1,34029 mi · pop 187,839
Alexander County
$1,09530 mi · pop 36,505
Burke County
$1,09532 mi · pop 87,799
Caldwell County
$1,09534 mi · pop 80,716
Questions people ask
$1,054 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $917 for a studio, $953 for one bedroom, $1,461 for three and $1,728 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 Lincoln actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Lincoln for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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