HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania (FY 2027)
$1,839 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lehigh County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Lehigh is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,839
+12.5% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,655–$2,023
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$73,560
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Pennsylvania
7th of 67
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
FY 2027 Fair Market Rents
Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,302 | $1,172–$1,432 | $52,080 | $25.04/hr | +15.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,519 | $1,367–$1,671 | $60,760 | $29.21/hr | +13.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,839 | $1,655–$2,023 | $73,560 | $35.37/hr | +12.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,306 | $2,075–$2,537 | $92,240 | $44.35/hr | +10.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,482 | $2,234–$2,730 | $99,280 | $47.73/hr | +13.1% |
Five to eight 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 | $2,854 | $2,569–$3,139 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,227 | $2,904–$3,550 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,599 | $3,239–$3,959 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,971 | $3,574–$4,368 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Lehigh actually rent for?
Search any address in Lehigh for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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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 Lehigh somewhere between $1,655 and $2,023. 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.
$1,839 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $73,560 a year. Put another way, $35 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | Voucher pays at 90%$1,655 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,839 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $905 | $1,089 | $1,273 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $455 | $639 | $823 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 13% from FY 2026 ($1,634) to FY 2027 ($1,839). Since FY 2020 it's up 79% in total, about 8.7% a year. The Pennsylvania median held flat over the same year.
| Fiscal 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 2027In effect | $1,302 | $1,519 | $1,839 | $2,306 | $2,482 | +12.5% |
About this rate
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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Lehigh, that runs from $1,302 for a studio up to $2,482 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 Lehigh in with 2 other counties in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro, Northampton County, Carbon County among them, and every one of them gets $1,839 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, Lehigh ranks 7th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 62% above the state median of $1,136 and about 73% above the national median county at $1,063. About 378,792 people live here, 10th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,480 in 18066 (New Tripoli) and $2,760 in 18069 (Orefield), with the 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18011 | Alburtis | $2,220 | +20.7% |
| 18025 | Bethlehem | $1,839County rate | — |
| 18031 | Breinigsville | $2,550 | +38.7% |
| 18032 | Catasauqua | $1,530 | -16.8% |
| 18034 | Center Valley | $2,610 | +41.9% |
| 18036 | Coopersburg | $1,690 | -8.1% |
| 18037 | Coplay | $1,700 | -7.6% |
| 18046 | East Texas | $2,350 | +27.8% |
| 18049 | Emmaus | $1,830 | -0.5% |
| 18051 | Fogelsville | $1,640 | -10.8% |
| 18052 | Whitehall | $1,920 | +4.4% |
| 18053 | Germansville | $1,700 | -7.6% |
| 18059 | Laurys Station | $1,650 | -10.3% |
| 18060 | Limeport | $1,839County rate | — |
| 18062 | Macungie | $2,550 | +38.7% |
| 18065 | Neffs | $1,510 | -17.9% |
| 18066 | New Tripoli | $1,480 | -19.5% |
| 18068 | Old Zionsville | $1,839County rate | — |
| 18069 | Orefield | $2,760 | +50.1% |
| 18078 | Schnecksville | $1,640 | -10.8% |
| 18079 | Slatedale | $1,480 | -19.5% |
| 18080 | Slatington | $1,480 | -19.5% |
| 18087 | Trexlertown | $1,600 | -13.0% |
| 18092 | Zionsville | $1,790 | -2.7% |
| 18098 | Emmaus | $1,839County rate | — |
| 18099 | Emmaus | $1,839County rate | — |
| 18101 | Allentown | $1,890 | +2.8% |
| 18102 | Allentown | $1,690 | -8.1% |
| 18103 | Allentown | $1,850 | +0.6% |
| 18104 | Allentown | $2,270 | +23.4% |
| 18105 | Allentown | $1,860 | +1.1% |
| 18106 | Allentown | $2,070 | +12.6% |
| 18109 | Allentown | $1,810 | -1.6% |
| 18195 | Allentown | $1,860 | +1.1% |
Counties sharing the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,839 two-bedroom figure as Lehigh.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Lehigh.
Northampton County
14 mi · 318,580 people
$1,839
same rate
Carbon County
22 mi · 65,382 people
$1,839
same rate
Berks County
23 mi · 433,015 people
$1,418
-23%
Bucks County
30 mi · 647,461 people
$1,860
+1%
Montgomery County
30 mi · 867,573 people
$1,860
+1%
Monroe County
33 mi · 167,515 people
$1,550
-16%
Schuylkill County
37 mi · 143,558 people
$1,068
-42%
Chester County
44 mi · 547,840 people
$1,860
+1%
Questions people ask
$1,839 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,302 for a studio, $1,519 for one bedroom, $2,306 for three and $2,482 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count
Section 8 rent calculator
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
The income a household needs for a given rent
What does a rental in Lehigh actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Lehigh for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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