HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Carbon County, Pennsylvania (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Carbon County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,634 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Carbon keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,634
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,471 to $1,797
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$65,360
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Pennsylvania
6th of 67
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Carbon moves to $1,839. That's up 13%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Carbon actually rent for?
Search any address in Carbon 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 | $1,130 | $1,017 to $1,243 | $45,200 | $21.73/hr | +9.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,341 | $1,207 to $1,475 | $53,640 | $25.79/hr | +10.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,634 | $1,471 to $1,797 | $65,360 | $31.42/hr | +8.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,087 | $1,878 to $2,296 | $83,480 | $40.13/hr | +8.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,195 | $1,976 to $2,415 | $87,800 | $42.21/hr | +9.5% |
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 | $2,524 | $2,272 to $2,776 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,854 | $2,569 to $3,139 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,183 | $2,865 to $3,501 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,512 | $3,161 to $3,863 |
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 Carbon, that runs from $1,130 for a studio up to $2,195 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 Carbon in with 2 other counties in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro, Lehigh County, Northampton County among them, and every one of them gets $1,634 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 Pennsylvania's 67 counties, Carbon ranks 6th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 44% above the state median of $1,138 and about 61% above the national median county at $1,018. About 65,018 people live here, 39th in the state.
Counties sharing the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,360 in 18012 (Aquashicola) and $1,620 in 18254 (Tresckow), with the 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18012 | Aquashicola | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18030 | Bowmanstown | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18071 | Palmerton | $1,400 | -14.3% |
| 18210 | Albrightsville | $1,550 | -5.1% |
| 18212 | Ashfield | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18216 | Beaver Meadows | $1,450 | -11.3% |
| 18229 | Jim Thorpe | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18230 | Junedale | $1,390 | -14.9% |
| 18232 | Lansford | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18235 | Lehighton | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18240 | Nesquehoning | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18244 | Parryville | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18250 | Summit Hill | $1,440 | -11.9% |
| 18254 | Tresckow | $1,620 | -0.9% |
| 18255 | Weatherly | $1,360 | -16.8% |
| 18624 | Lake Harmony | $1,470 | -10.0% |
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 Carbon somewhere between $1,471 and $1,797. 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.
$1,634 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $65,360 a year. Put another way, $31 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% ($1,471) | HAP at 100% ($1,634) | HAP at 110% ($1,797) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $721 | $884 | $1,047 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $271 | $434 | $597 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 8% from FY 2025 ($1,507) to FY 2026 ($1,634). Since FY 2020 it's up 59% in total, about 8.1% a year. The Pennsylvania median moved up 7% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $694 | $804 | $1,026 | $1,327 | $1,390 | — |
| FY 2021 | $788 | $891 | $1,139 | $1,474 | $1,545 | +11.0% |
| FY 2022 | $834 | $939 | $1,196 | $1,542 | $1,622 | +5.0% |
| FY 2023 | $967 | $1,102 | $1,396 | $1,789 | $1,875 | +16.7% |
| FY 2024 | $972 | $1,137 | $1,426 | $1,821 | $1,900 | +2.1% |
| FY 2025 | $1,033 | $1,213 | $1,507 | $1,924 | $2,005 | +5.7% |
| FY 2026 | $1,130 | $1,341 | $1,634 | $2,087 | $2,195 | +8.4% |
| FY 2027 | $1,302 | $1,519 | $1,839 | $2,306 | $2,482 | +12.5% |
Nearby counties
Lehigh County
$1,63422 mi · pop 374,110
Luzerne County
$1,25224 mi · pop 325,396
Northampton County
$1,63424 mi · pop 314,299
Monroe County
$1,52925 mi · pop 168,128
Schuylkill County
$1,03026 mi · pop 143,201
Berks County
$1,57533 mi · pop 428,483
Columbia County
$1,14034 mi · pop 64,924
Lackawanna County
$1,25240 mi · pop 215,672
Questions people ask
$1,634 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,130 for a studio, $1,341 for one bedroom, $2,087 for three and $2,195 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 Carbon actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Carbon for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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