HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Dorchester County, South Carolina (FY 2027)
$1,884 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Dorchester County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Dorchester is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,884
+5.4% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,696–$2,072
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$75,360
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in South Carolina
4th of 46
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 | $1,661 | $1,495–$1,827 | $66,440 | $31.94/hr | +6.7% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,731 | $1,558–$1,904 | $69,240 | $33.29/hr | +6.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,884 | $1,696–$2,072 | $75,360 | $36.23/hr | +5.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,336 | $2,102–$2,570 | $93,440 | $44.92/hr | +5.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,687 | $2,418–$2,956 | $107,480 | $51.67/hr | +4.9% |
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 | $3,090 | $2,781–$3,399 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,493 | $3,144–$3,842 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,896 | $3,506–$4,286 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,299 | $3,869–$4,729 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Charleston are asking $2,325. HUD says $1,884.
That's 23% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 12 Charleston ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
No card needed
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 Dorchester somewhere between $1,696 and $2,072. 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.
$1,884 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $75,360 a year. Put another way, $36 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%$1,696 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,884 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,072 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $946 | $1,134 | $1,322 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $496 | $684 | $872 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2026 ($1,787) to FY 2027 ($1,884). Since FY 2020 it's up 60% in total, about 6.9% a year. The South Carolina median moved up 2% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $907 | $1,035 | $1,179 | $1,535 | $2,012 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,000 | $1,059 | $1,207 | $1,544 | $2,010 | +2.4% |
| FY 2022 | $1,183 | $1,204 | $1,372 | $1,721 | $2,206 | +13.7% |
| FY 2023 | $1,328 | $1,357 | $1,533 | $1,906 | $2,397 | +11.7% |
| FY 2024 | $1,386 | $1,424 | $1,599 | $1,979 | $2,402 | +4.3% |
| FY 2025 | $1,583 | $1,644 | $1,820 | $2,255 | $2,653 | +13.8% |
| FY 2026 | $1,557 | $1,630 | $1,787 | $2,222 | $2,562 | -1.8% |
| FY 2027In effect | $1,661 | $1,731 | $1,884 | $2,336 | $2,687 | +5.4% |
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 Dorchester, that runs from $1,661 for a studio up to $2,687 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 Dorchester in with 2 other counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro, Charleston County, Berkeley County among them, and every one of them gets $1,884 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 South Carolina's 46 counties, Dorchester ranks 4th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 72% above the state median of $1,098 and about 77% above the national median county at $1,063. About 167,201 people live here, 12th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,170 in 29437 (Dorchester) and $1,860 in 29485 (Summerville), with the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29420 | North Charleston | $1,850 | -1.8% |
| 29437 | Dorchester | $1,170 | -37.9% |
| 29447 | Grover | $1,884County rate | — |
| 29448 | Harleyville | $1,170 | -37.9% |
| 29471 | Reevesville | $1,170 | -37.9% |
| 29472 | Ridgeville | $1,430 | -24.1% |
| 29477 | Saint George | $1,190 | -36.8% |
| 29483 | Summerville | $1,580 | -16.1% |
| 29484 | Summerville | $1,730 | -8.2% |
| 29485 | Summerville | $1,860 | -1.3% |
Counties sharing the Charleston-North Charleston metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,884 two-bedroom figure as Dorchester.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Dorchester.
Colleton County
21 mi · 38,783 people
$913
-52%
Berkeley County
24 mi · 246,802 people
$1,884
same rate
Charleston County
30 mi · 420,264 people
$1,884
same rate
Orangeburg County
35 mi · 83,253 people
$906
-52%
Bamberg County
43 mi · 13,042 people
$889
-53%
Calhoun County
45 mi · 14,182 people
$1,226
-35%
Clarendon County
47 mi · 30,986 people
$885
-53%
Hampton County
48 mi · 18,254 people
$885
-53%
Questions people ask
$1,884 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,661 for a studio, $1,731 for one bedroom, $2,336 for three and $2,687 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 Dorchester actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Dorchester for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.