HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Lancaster County, South Carolina (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lancaster County is $1,011 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,011
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$910 to $1,112
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$40,440
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in South Carolina
26th of 46
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Lancaster moves to $1,069. That's up 6%. 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 | $881 | $793 to $969 | $35,240 | $16.94/hr | -8.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $922 | $830 to $1,014 | $36,880 | $17.73/hr | -6.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,011 | $910 to $1,112 | $40,440 | $19.44/hr | -8.8% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,382 | $1,244 to $1,520 | $55,280 | $26.58/hr | -8.7% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,696 | $1,526 to $1,866 | $67,840 | $32.62/hr | +1.8% |
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 | $1,950 | $1,755 to $2,145 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,205 | $1,985 to $2,426 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,459 | $2,213 to $2,705 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,714 | $2,443 to $2,985 |
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 $881 for a studio up to $1,696 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Lancaster is its own HUD metro area (Lancaster County, SC), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among South Carolina's 46 counties, Lancaster ranks 26th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 6% below the state median of $1,077 and within a couple percent of the national median county at $1,018. About 97,611 people live here, 16th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,000 in 29058 (Heath Springs) and $1,520 in 29707 (Fort Mill), with the 5 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.
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 $910 and $1,112. 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.
$1,011 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,440 a year. Put another way, $19 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% ($910) | HAP at 100% ($1,011) | HAP at 110% ($1,112) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $160 | $261 | $362 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 9% from FY 2025 ($1,108) to FY 2026 ($1,011). Since FY 2020 it's up 26% in total, about 4.0% a year. The South Carolina median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $521 | $607 | $800 | $1,038 | $1,084 | — |
| FY 2021 | $623 | $628 | $827 | $1,074 | $1,144 | +3.4% |
| FY 2022 | $637 | $641 | $844 | $1,105 | $1,155 | +2.1% |
| FY 2023 | $688 | $693 | $912 | $1,212 | $1,263 | +8.1% |
| FY 2024 | $785 | $790 | $1,026 | $1,360 | $1,518 | +12.5% |
| FY 2025 | $963 | $987 | $1,108 | $1,514 | $1,666 | +8.0% |
| FY 2026 | $881 | $922 | $1,011 | $1,382 | $1,696 | -8.8% |
| FY 2027 | $943 | $982 | $1,069 | $1,466 | $1,787 | +5.7% |
Nearby counties
Chester County
$1,05616 mi · pop 32,171
Kershaw County
$1,00929 mi · pop 65,779
York County
$1,68629 mi · pop 282,987
Chesterfield County
$90232 mi · pop 43,536
Fairfield County
$1,27636 mi · pop 20,942
Union County
$1,03849 mi · pop 27,158
Darlington County
$1,09850 mi · pop 63,025
Richland County
$1,27652 mi · pop 416,161
Questions people ask
$1,011 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $881 for a studio, $922 for one bedroom, $1,382 for three and $1,696 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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