HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Swain County, North Carolina (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Swain 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
96th of 100
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Swain 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 Swain actually rent for?
Search any address in Swain 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 | $806 | $725 to $887 | $32,240 | $15.50/hr | +6.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $813 | $732 to $894 | $32,520 | $15.63/hr | +6.7% |
| 2 bedroom | $925 | $833 to $1,018 | $37,000 | $17.79/hr | -0.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,264 | $1,138 to $1,390 | $50,560 | $24.31/hr | -3.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,390 | $1,251 to $1,529 | $55,600 | $26.73/hr | -0.6% |
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 | $1,599 | $1,439 to $1,759 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,807 | $1,626 to $1,988 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,016 | $1,814 to $2,218 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,224 | $2,002 to $2,446 |
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 Swain, that runs from $806 for a studio up to $1,390 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Swain 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, Almond included.
Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Swain ranks 96th 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 14,130 people live here, 88th 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 28713 (Bryson City) and $1,110 in 28719 (Cherokee), with the 3 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 Swain 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 1% from FY 2025 ($930) 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 | $573 | $589 | $671 | $845 | $1,067 | — |
| FY 2021 | $589 | $608 | $693 | $899 | $1,111 | +3.3% |
| FY 2022 | $575 | $579 | $724 | $986 | $1,143 | +4.5% |
| FY 2023 | $617 | $621 | $771 | $1,082 | $1,209 | +6.5% |
| FY 2024 | $652 | $656 | $856 | $1,206 | $1,305 | +11.0% |
| FY 2025 | $757 | $762 | $930 | $1,303 | $1,398 | +8.6% |
| FY 2026 | $806 | $813 | $925 | $1,264 | $1,390 | -0.5% |
| FY 2027 | $892 | $906 | $1,012 | $1,292 | $1,531 | +9.4% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$925 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $806 for a studio, $813 for one bedroom, $1,264 for three and $1,390 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 Swain actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Swain for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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