HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Wake County, North Carolina (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Wake County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,750 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Wake keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,750
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,575 to $1,925
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$70,000
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in North Carolina
3rd of 100
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Wake moves to $1,689. That's down 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Raleigh are asking $1,691. HUD says $1,750.
That's 3% below the county FMR. Median asking rent across 15 Raleigh ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
Comps for a specific address
A rent estimate built from nearby listings, next to the HUD number.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,524 | $1,372 to $1,676 | $60,960 | $29.31/hr | -0.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,596 | $1,436 to $1,756 | $63,840 | $30.69/hr | +0.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,750 | $1,575 to $1,925 | $70,000 | $33.65/hr | -0.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,196 | $1,976 to $2,416 | $87,840 | $42.23/hr | +0.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,936 | $2,642 to $3,230 | $117,440 | $56.46/hr | -0.8% |
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 | $3,376 | $3,038 to $3,714 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,817 | $3,435 to $4,199 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,257 | $3,831 to $4,683 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,698 | $4,228 to $5,168 |
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 Wake, that runs from $1,524 for a studio up to $2,936 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 Wake in with 2 other counties in the Raleigh-Cary metro, Johnston County, Franklin County among them, and every one of them gets $1,750 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, Wake ranks 3rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 61% above the state median of $1,086 and about 72% above the national median county at $1,018. About 1,132,103 people live here, 1st in the state.
Counties sharing the Raleigh-Cary metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,350 in 27592 (Willow Spring) and $2,240 in 27519 (Cary), with the 56 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27502 | Apex | $2,140 | +22.3% |
| 27511 | Cary | $1,620 | -7.4% |
| 27512 | Cary | $1,810 | +3.4% |
| 27513 | Cary | $1,920 | +9.7% |
| 27518 | Cary | $1,900 | +8.6% |
| 27519 | Cary | $2,240 | +28.0% |
| 27523 | Apex | $2,110 | +20.6% |
| 27526 | Fuquay Varina | $1,830 | +4.6% |
| 27529 | Garner | $1,660 | -5.1% |
| 27539 | Apex | $2,040 | +16.6% |
| 27540 | Holly Springs | $2,110 | +20.6% |
| 27545 | Knightdale | $1,790 | +2.3% |
| 27560 | Morrisville | $2,230 | +27.4% |
| 27562 | New Hill | $2,020 | +15.4% |
| 27571 | Rolesville | $1,750 | 0.0% |
| 27587 | Wake Forest | $1,750 | 0.0% |
| 27588 | Wake Forest | $1,810 | +3.4% |
| 27591 | Wendell | $1,490 | -14.9% |
| 27592 | Willow Spring | $1,350 | -22.9% |
| 27597 | Zebulon | $1,350 | -22.9% |
| 27601 | Raleigh | $1,840 | +5.1% |
| 27602 | Raleigh | $1,810 | +3.4% |
| 27603 | Raleigh | $1,670 | -4.6% |
| 27604 | Raleigh | $1,720 | -1.7% |
| 27605 | Raleigh | $1,930 | +10.3% |
| 27606 | Raleigh | $1,750 | 0.0% |
| 27607 | Raleigh | $1,780 | +1.7% |
| 27608 | Raleigh | $1,760 | +0.6% |
| 27609 | Raleigh | $1,820 | +4.0% |
| 27610 | Raleigh | $1,540 | -12.0% |
| 27611 | Raleigh | $1,810 | +3.4% |
| 27612 | Raleigh | $2,060 | +17.7% |
| 27613 | Raleigh | $1,740 | -0.6% |
| 27614 | Raleigh | $1,860 | +6.3% |
| 27615 | Raleigh | $1,970 | +12.6% |
| 27616 | Raleigh | $1,820 | +4.0% |
| 27617 | Raleigh | $2,010 | +14.9% |
| 27619 | Raleigh | $1,810 | +3.4% |
| 27620 | Raleigh | $1,810 | +3.4% |
| 27621 | Raleigh | $1,750County rate | — |
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 Wake somewhere between $1,575 and $1,925. 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.
$1,750 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $70,000 a year. Put another way, $34 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% ($1,575) | HAP at 100% ($1,750) | HAP at 110% ($1,925) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $825 | $1,000 | $1,175 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $375 | $550 | $725 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2025 ($1,763) to FY 2026 ($1,750). Since FY 2020 it's up 50% in total, about 7.0% 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 | $962 | $1,022 | $1,163 | $1,482 | $1,895 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,013 | $1,053 | $1,200 | $1,509 | $1,950 | +3.2% |
| FY 2022 | $1,038 | $1,073 | $1,223 | $1,517 | $1,982 | +1.9% |
| FY 2023 | $1,213 | $1,250 | $1,412 | $1,733 | $2,293 | +15.5% |
| FY 2024 | $1,427 | $1,466 | $1,646 | $2,035 | $2,711 | +16.6% |
| FY 2025 | $1,533 | $1,592 | $1,763 | $2,192 | $2,961 | +7.1% |
| FY 2026 | $1,524 | $1,596 | $1,750 | $2,196 | $2,936 | -0.7% |
| FY 2027 | $1,489 | $1,552 | $1,689 | $2,103 | $2,823 | -3.5% |
Nearby counties
Durham County
$1,71122 mi · pop 325,101
Franklin County
$1,75023 mi · pop 69,680
Granville County
$1,20025 mi · pop 61,161
Johnston County
$1,75026 mi · pop 219,042
Orange County
$1,71128 mi · pop 145,919
Harnett County
$98030 mi · pop 134,718
Lee County
$1,13637 mi · pop 63,560
Chatham County
$1,71138 mi · pop 76,754
Questions people ask
$1,750 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,524 for a studio, $1,596 for one bedroom, $2,196 for three and $2,936 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 Wake actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Wake for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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