HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Lawrence County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,023 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Lawrence keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,023
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$921 to $1,125
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$40,920
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Pennsylvania
43rd of 67
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Lawrence moves to $1,095. That's up 7%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Lawrence actually rent for?
Search any address in Lawrence 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 | $705 | $635 to $776 | $28,200 | $13.56/hr | +7.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $780 | $702 to $858 | $31,200 | $15.00/hr | +7.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,023 | $921 to $1,125 | $40,920 | $19.67/hr | +7.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,423 | $1,281 to $1,565 | $56,920 | $27.37/hr | +6.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,610 | $1,449 to $1,771 | $64,400 | $30.96/hr | +5.9% |
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 | $1,852 | $1,667 to $2,037 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,093 | $1,884 to $2,302 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,335 | $2,102 to $2,569 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,576 | $2,318 to $2,834 |
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 Lawrence, that runs from $705 for a studio up to $1,610 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Lawrence is its own HUD metro area (Lawrence County, PA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, Lawrence ranks 43rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 10% below the state median of $1,138 and within a couple percent of the national median county at $1,018. About 85,907 people live here, 33rd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $970 in 16101 (New Castle) and $1,300 in 16155 (Villa Maria), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16101 | New Castle | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16102 | New Castle | $1,110 | +8.5% |
| 16103 | New Castle | $1,023County rate | — |
| 16105 | New Castle | $1,250 | +22.2% |
| 16107 | New Castle | $1,023County rate | — |
| 16108 | New Castle | $1,023County rate | — |
| 16112 | Bessemer | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16116 | Edinburg | $1,010 | -1.3% |
| 16117 | Ellwood City | $1,020 | -0.3% |
| 16120 | Enon Valley | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16132 | Hillsville | $1,000 | -2.2% |
| 16140 | New Bedford | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16142 | New Wilmington | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16143 | Pulaski | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16155 | Villa Maria | $1,300 | +27.1% |
| 16156 | Volant | $1,140 | +11.4% |
| 16157 | Wampum | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16160 | West Pittsburg | $970 | -5.2% |
| 16172 | New Wilmington | $970 | -5.2% |
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 Lawrence somewhere between $921 and $1,125. 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.
$1,023 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,920 a year. Put another way, $20 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% ($921) | HAP at 100% ($1,023) | HAP at 110% ($1,125) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $171 | $273 | $375 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 7% from FY 2025 ($955) to FY 2026 ($1,023). Since FY 2020 it's up 34% in total, about 5.0% 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 | $497 | $580 | $763 | $951 | $1,092 | — |
| FY 2021 | $515 | $592 | $780 | $974 | $1,139 | +2.2% |
| FY 2022 | $525 | $600 | $790 | $1,004 | $1,188 | +1.3% |
| FY 2023 | $562 | $638 | $840 | $1,109 | $1,320 | +6.3% |
| FY 2024 | $590 | $663 | $871 | $1,208 | $1,386 | +3.7% |
| FY 2025 | $655 | $728 | $955 | $1,338 | $1,520 | +9.6% |
| FY 2026 | $705 | $780 | $1,023 | $1,423 | $1,610 | +7.1% |
| FY 2027 | $763 | $844 | $1,095 | $1,516 | $1,682 | +7.0% |
Nearby counties
Mercer County
$99621 mi · pop 110,600
Beaver County
$1,29922 mi · pop 167,629
Butler County
$1,29925 mi · pop 194,562
Venango County
$97342 mi · pop 50,475
Allegheny County
$1,29944 mi · pop 1,245,310
Crawford County
$97348 mi · pop 83,876
Armstrong County
$1,00249 mi · pop 65,538
Clarion County
$97352 mi · pop 37,489
Questions people ask
$1,023 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $705 for a studio, $780 for one bedroom, $1,423 for three and $1,610 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 Lawrence actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Lawrence for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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