HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (FY 2026)
$1,526 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lancaster County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Lancaster is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,526
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,373 to $1,679
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$61,040
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Pennsylvania
11th of 67
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Lancaster moves to $1,553. That's up 2%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Lancaster actually rent for?
Search any address in Lancaster 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 | $1,102 | $992 to $1,212 | $44,080 | $21.19/hr | +11.8% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,220 | $1,098 to $1,342 | $48,800 | $23.46/hr | +10.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,526 | $1,373 to $1,679 | $61,040 | $29.35/hr | +9.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,980 | $1,782 to $2,178 | $79,200 | $38.08/hr | +8.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,020 | $1,818 to $2,222 | $80,800 | $38.85/hr | +9.4% |
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 | $2,323 | $2,091 to $2,555 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,626 | $2,363 to $2,889 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,929 | $2,636 to $3,222 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,232 | $2,909 to $3,555 |
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 Lancaster, that runs from $1,102 for a studio up to $2,020 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Lancaster is its own HUD metro area (Lancaster, PA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, Lancaster ranks 11th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 34% above the state median of $1,138 and about 50% above the national median county at $1,018. About 553,202 people live here, 6th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,130 in 17536 (Kirkwood) and $2,190 in 17584 (Willow Street), with the 66 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17022 | Elizabethtown | $1,500 | -1.7% |
| 17501 | Akron | $1,410 | -7.6% |
| 17502 | Bainbridge | $1,260 | -17.4% |
| 17503 | Bart | $1,530 | +0.3% |
| 17504 | Bausman | $1,610 | +5.5% |
| 17505 | Bird In Hand | $2,140 | +40.2% |
| 17506 | Blue Ball | $1,570 | +2.9% |
| 17507 | Bowmansville | $1,270 | -16.8% |
| 17508 | Brownstown | $1,390 | -8.9% |
| 17509 | Christiana | $1,280 | -16.1% |
| 17512 | Columbia | $1,310 | -14.2% |
| 17516 | Conestoga | $1,420 | -6.9% |
| 17517 | Denver | $1,360 | -10.9% |
| 17518 | Drumore | $1,300 | -14.8% |
| 17519 | East Earl | $1,690 | +10.7% |
| 17520 | East Petersburg | $1,650 | +8.1% |
| 17521 | Elm | $1,530 | +0.3% |
| 17522 | Ephrata | $1,290 | -15.5% |
| 17527 | Gap | $1,510 | -1.0% |
| 17528 | Goodville | $1,530 | +0.3% |
| 17529 | Gordonville | $1,700 | +11.4% |
| 17532 | Holtwood | $1,260 | -17.4% |
| 17533 | Hopeland | $1,530 | +0.3% |
| 17534 | Intercourse | $1,520 | -0.4% |
| 17535 | Kinzers | $1,640 | +7.5% |
| 17536 | Kirkwood | $1,130 | -26.0% |
| 17537 | Lampeter | $1,530 | +0.3% |
| 17538 | Landisville | $1,260 | -17.4% |
| 17540 | Leola | $1,630 | +6.8% |
| 17543 | Lititz | $1,550 | +1.6% |
| 17545 | Manheim | $1,530 | +0.3% |
| 17547 | Marietta | $1,340 | -12.2% |
| 17549 | Martindale | $1,526County rate | — |
| 17550 | Maytown | $1,340 | -12.2% |
| 17551 | Millersville | $2,000 | +31.1% |
| 17552 | Mount Joy | $1,540 | +0.9% |
| 17554 | Mountville | $1,560 | +2.2% |
| 17555 | Narvon | $1,280 | -16.1% |
| 17557 | New Holland | $1,470 | -3.7% |
| 17560 | New Providence | $1,330 | -12.8% |
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 Lancaster somewhere between $1,373 and $1,679. 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.
$1,526 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $61,040 a year. Put another way, $29 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% ($1,373) | HAP at 100% ($1,526) | HAP at 110% ($1,679) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $623 | $776 | $929 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $173 | $326 | $479 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 10% from FY 2025 ($1,393) to FY 2026 ($1,526). Since FY 2020 it's up 49% in total, about 6.9% 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 | $684 | $812 | $1,021 | $1,293 | $1,383 | — |
| FY 2021 | $684 | $809 | $1,018 | $1,283 | $1,380 | -0.3% |
| FY 2022 | $783 | $913 | $1,148 | $1,450 | $1,557 | +12.8% |
| FY 2023 | $893 | $1,025 | $1,286 | $1,631 | $1,728 | +12.0% |
| FY 2024 | $938 | $1,061 | $1,333 | $1,725 | $1,775 | +3.7% |
| FY 2025 | $986 | $1,106 | $1,393 | $1,820 | $1,847 | +4.5% |
| FY 2026 | $1,102 | $1,220 | $1,526 | $1,980 | $2,020 | +9.5% |
| FY 2027 | $1,152 | $1,256 | $1,553 | $1,978 | $2,041 | +1.8% |
Nearby counties
Lebanon County
$1,41121 mi · pop 143,258
York County
$1,33527 mi · pop 457,051
Chester County
$1,81029 mi · pop 536,474
Berks County
$1,57530 mi · pop 428,483
Dauphin County
$1,49336 mi · pop 286,108
Cumberland County
$1,49347 mi · pop 261,269
Delaware County
$1,81047 mi · pop 575,312
Schuylkill County
$1,03047 mi · pop 143,201
Questions people ask
$1,526 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,102 for a studio, $1,220 for one bedroom, $1,980 for three and $2,020 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 Lancaster actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Lancaster for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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