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

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,136 to $1,388. 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.

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

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Rowan those run from $1,100 to $1,390 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 Rowan 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 Rowan County, North Carolina (FY 2027)

A two-bedroom in Rowan County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,262 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Rowan keys off that figure.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,262

+5.5% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,136–$1,388

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

Income to afford

$50,480

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in North Carolina

34th 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	$992	$893–$1,091	$39,680	$19.08/hr	+4.2%
1 bedroom	$1,012	$911–$1,113	$40,480	$19.46/hr	+5.6%
2 bedroom	$1,262	$1,136–$1,388	$50,480	$24.27/hr	+5.5%
3 bedroom	$1,604	$1,444–$1,764	$64,160	$30.85/hr	+2.0%
4 bedroom	$2,109	$1,898–$2,320	$84,360	$40.56/hr	+5.1%

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	$2,425	$2,183–$2,668
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,742	$2,468–$3,016
7 bedroom Estimate	$3,058	$2,752–$3,364
8 bedroom Estimate	$3,374	$3,037–$3,711

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 Rowan actually rent for?

Search any address in Rowan 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 Rowan somewhere between $1,136 and $1,388. 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.

$1,262 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $50,480 a year. Put another way, $24 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%$1,136	Voucher pays at 100%$1,262	Voucher pays at 110%$1,388
$2,500	$750	$386	$512	$638
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$62	$188

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 6% from FY 2026 ($1,196) to FY 2027 ($1,262). Since FY 2020 it's up 50% in total, about 6.0% 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	$653	$681	$842	$1,111	$1,141	—
FY 2021	$715	$724	$891	$1,158	$1,208	+5.8%
FY 2022	$707	$712	$874	$1,144	$1,185	-1.9%
FY 2023	$800	$805	$980	$1,270	$1,388	+12.1%
FY 2024	$925	$931	$1,121	$1,483	$1,702	+14.4%
FY 2025	$1,044	$1,050	$1,285	$1,691	$2,158	+14.6%
FY 2026	$952	$958	$1,196	$1,573	$2,006	-6.9%
FY 2027In effect	$992	$1,012	$1,262	$1,604	$2,109	+5.5%

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 Rowan, that runs from $992 for a studio up to $2,109 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Rowan is its own HUD metro area (Rowan County, NC), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Rowan ranks 34th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 10% above the state median of $1,145 and about 19% above the national median county at $1,063. About 149,875 people live here, 20th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,100 in 27054 (Woodleaf) and $1,390 in 28125 (Mount Ulla), with the 15 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
27013	Cleveland	$1,210	-4.1%
27054	Woodleaf	$1,100	-12.8%
28023	China Grove	$1,210	-4.1%
28039	East Spencer	$1,310	+3.8%
28041	Faith	$1,140	-9.7%
28071	Gold Hill	$1,120	-11.3%
28072	Granite Quarry	$1,140	-9.7%
28088	Landis	$1,280	+1.4%
28125	Mount Ulla	$1,390	+10.1%
28138	Rockwell	$1,250	-1.0%
28144	Salisbury	$1,310	+3.8%
28145	Salisbury	$1,260	-0.2%
28146	Salisbury	$1,140	-9.7%
28147	Salisbury	$1,320	+4.6%
28159	Spencer	$1,290	+2.2%

Nearby counties

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

Cabarrus County

18 mi · 236,133 people

$1,785

+41%

Davie County

19 mi · 44,122 people

$1,332

+6%

Davidson County

20 mi · 172,954 people

$1,087

-14%

Iredell County

23 mi · 196,544 people

$1,429

+13%

Stanly County

25 mi · 64,651 people

$1,012

-20%

Mecklenburg County

33 mi · 1,154,681 people

$1,785

+41%

Forsyth County

35 mi · 389,977 people

$1,332

+6%

Catawba County

37 mi · 163,573 people

$1,147

-9%

Questions people ask

$1,262 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $992 for a studio, $1,012 for one bedroom, $1,604 for three and $2,109 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