HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Orange County, North Carolina (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Orange County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,711 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Orange keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,711
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,540 to $1,882
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$68,440
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in North Carolina
7th of 100
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Orange moves to $1,745. That's up 2%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Orange actually rent for?
Search any address in Orange 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 | $1,417 | $1,275 to $1,559 | $56,680 | $27.25/hr | -8.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,507 | $1,356 to $1,658 | $60,280 | $28.98/hr | -7.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,711 | $1,540 to $1,882 | $68,440 | $32.90/hr | -8.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,117 | $1,905 to $2,329 | $84,680 | $40.71/hr | -9.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,527 | $2,274 to $2,780 | $101,080 | $48.60/hr | -10.0% |
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 | $2,906 | $2,615 to $3,197 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,285 | $2,957 to $3,614 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,664 | $3,298 to $4,030 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,043 | $3,639 to $4,447 |
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 Orange, that runs from $1,417 for a studio up to $2,527 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 Orange in with 2 other counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro, Durham County, Chatham County among them, and every one of them gets $1,711 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, Orange ranks 7th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 58% above the state median of $1,086 and about 68% above the national median county at $1,018. About 145,919 people live here, 20th in the state.
Counties sharing the Durham-Chapel Hill metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,690 in 27231 (Cedar Grove) and $1,940 in 27517 (Chapel Hill), with the 9 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 Orange somewhere between $1,540 and $1,882. 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.
$1,711 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $68,440 a year. Put another way, $33 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% ($1,540) | HAP at 100% ($1,711) | HAP at 110% ($1,882) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $790 | $961 | $1,132 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $340 | $511 | $682 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 9% from FY 2025 ($1,872) to FY 2026 ($1,711). Since FY 2020 it's up 57% in total, about 7.8% 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 | $919 | $934 | $1,088 | $1,461 | $1,645 | — |
| FY 2021 | $972 | $974 | $1,134 | $1,493 | $1,715 | +4.2% |
| FY 2022 | $1,024 | $1,030 | $1,199 | $1,546 | $1,812 | +5.7% |
| FY 2023 | $1,128 | $1,134 | $1,315 | $1,669 | $2,031 | +9.7% |
| FY 2024 | $1,385 | $1,418 | $1,631 | $2,051 | $2,510 | +24.0% |
| FY 2025 | $1,548 | $1,637 | $1,872 | $2,334 | $2,807 | +14.8% |
| FY 2026 | $1,417 | $1,507 | $1,711 | $2,117 | $2,527 | -8.6% |
| FY 2027 | $1,498 | $1,554 | $1,745 | $2,161 | $2,486 | +2.0% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,711 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,417 for a studio, $1,507 for one bedroom, $2,117 for three and $2,527 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 Orange actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Orange for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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