HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Stanly County, North Carolina (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Stanly County is $925 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$925
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$833 to $1,018
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$37,000
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in North Carolina
94th of 100
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Stanly moves to $1,012. That's up 9%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Stanly actually rent for?
Search any address in Stanly 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 | $638 | $574 to $702 | $25,520 | $12.27/hr | -5.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $705 | $635 to $776 | $28,200 | $13.56/hr | -5.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $925 | $833 to $1,018 | $37,000 | $17.79/hr | -5.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,281 | $1,153 to $1,409 | $51,240 | $24.63/hr | -4.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,466 | $1,319 to $1,613 | $58,640 | $28.19/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 | $1,686 | $1,517 to $1,855 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,906 | $1,715 to $2,097 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,126 | $1,913 to $2,339 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,346 | $2,111 to $2,581 |
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 Stanly, that runs from $638 for a studio up to $1,466 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Stanly sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a county-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the county, Albemarle included.
Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Stanly ranks 94th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 15% below the state median of $1,086 and about 9% below the national median county at $1,018. About 62,723 people live here, 43rd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $930 in 28002 (Albemarle) and $1,160 in 28109 (Misenheimer), with the 10 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 Stanly somewhere between $833 and $1,018. 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.
$925 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $37,000 a year. Put another way, $18 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% ($833) | HAP at 100% ($925) | HAP at 110% ($1,018) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $83 | $175 | $268 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 6% from FY 2025 ($980) to FY 2026 ($925). Since FY 2020 it's up 38% in total, about 5.5% 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 | $534 | $537 | $671 | $913 | $1,063 | — |
| FY 2021 | $571 | $574 | $693 | $941 | $1,159 | +3.3% |
| FY 2022 | $517 | $641 | $747 | $998 | $1,256 | +7.8% |
| FY 2023 | $560 | $674 | $815 | $1,097 | $1,388 | +9.1% |
| FY 2024 | $627 | $704 | $925 | $1,244 | $1,552 | +13.5% |
| FY 2025 | $672 | $747 | $980 | $1,342 | $1,628 | +5.9% |
| FY 2026 | $638 | $705 | $925 | $1,281 | $1,466 | -5.6% |
| FY 2027 | $769 | $774 | $1,012 | $1,388 | $1,447 | +9.4% |
Nearby counties
Cabarrus County
$1,68617 mi · pop 226,396
Montgomery County
$92524 mi · pop 25,839
Rowan County
$1,19625 mi · pop 147,067
Anson County
$1,13829 mi · pop 22,200
Union County
$1,68630 mi · pop 240,109
Mecklenburg County
$1,68632 mi · pop 1,115,403
Davidson County
$96033 mi · pop 169,498
Richmond County
$92539 mi · pop 43,149
Questions people ask
$925 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $638 for a studio, $705 for one bedroom, $1,281 for three and $1,466 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 Stanly actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Stanly for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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