HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Pickens County, South Carolina (FY 2026)
$1,339 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Pickens County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Pickens is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,339
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,205 to $1,473
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$53,560
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in South Carolina
9th of 46
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Pickens moves to $1,507. That's up 13%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Pickens actually rent for?
Search any address in Pickens 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 | $1,166 | $1,049 to $1,283 | $46,640 | $22.42/hr | +2.6% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,221 | $1,099 to $1,343 | $48,840 | $23.48/hr | +3.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,339 | $1,205 to $1,473 | $53,560 | $25.75/hr | +2.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,612 | $1,451 to $1,773 | $64,480 | $31.00/hr | +0.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,943 | $1,749 to $2,137 | $77,720 | $37.37/hr | +1.7% |
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 | $2,234 | $2,011 to $2,457 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,526 | $2,273 to $2,779 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,817 | $2,535 to $3,099 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,109 | $2,798 to $3,420 |
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 Pickens, that runs from $1,166 for a studio up to $1,943 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 Pickens in with one other county in the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metro, Greenville County among them, and every one of them gets $1,339 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, Pickens ranks 9th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 24% above the state median of $1,077 and about 32% above the national median county at $1,018. About 131,106 people live here, 14th in the state.
Counties sharing the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,180 in 29630 (Central) and $1,200 in 29631 (Clemson), with the 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29630 | Central | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29631 | Clemson | $1,200 | -10.4% |
| 29632 | Clemson | $1,339County rate | — |
| 29633 | Clemson | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29634 | Clemson | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29640 | Easley | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29641 | Easley | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29642 | Easley | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29657 | Liberty | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29667 | Norris | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29671 | Pickens | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29682 | Six Mile | $1,180 | -11.9% |
| 29685 | Sunset | $1,180 | -11.9% |
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 Pickens somewhere between $1,205 and $1,473. 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.
$1,339 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $53,560 a year. Put another way, $26 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% ($1,205) | HAP at 100% ($1,339) | HAP at 110% ($1,473) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $455 | $589 | $723 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $5 | $139 | $273 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($1,306) to FY 2026 ($1,339). Since FY 2020 it's up 59% in total, about 8.0% 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 | $628 | $740 | $842 | $1,127 | $1,362 | — |
| FY 2021 | $731 | $826 | $942 | $1,254 | $1,518 | +11.9% |
| FY 2022 | $783 | $871 | $992 | $1,294 | $1,579 | +5.3% |
| FY 2023 | $865 | $931 | $1,051 | $1,344 | $1,628 | +5.9% |
| FY 2024 | $1,032 | $1,074 | $1,206 | $1,500 | $1,797 | +14.7% |
| FY 2025 | $1,136 | $1,180 | $1,306 | $1,599 | $1,911 | +8.3% |
| FY 2026 | $1,166 | $1,221 | $1,339 | $1,612 | $1,943 | +2.5% |
| FY 2027 | $1,329 | $1,384 | $1,507 | $1,801 | $2,124 | +12.5% |
Nearby counties
Oconee County
$94116 mi · pop 78,775
Anderson County
$1,17319 mi · pop 204,592
Greenville County
$1,33921 mi · pop 528,251
Abbeville County
$90241 mi · pop 24,368
Spartanburg County
$1,18746 mi · pop 330,119
Laurens County
$1,13350 mi · pop 67,456
Greenwood County
$93451 mi · pop 69,309
Union County
$1,03865 mi · pop 27,158
Questions people ask
$1,339 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,166 for a studio, $1,221 for one bedroom, $1,612 for three and $1,943 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 Pickens actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Pickens for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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