HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Sumter County, South Carolina (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Sumter County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,276 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Sumter keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,276
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,148 to $1,404
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$51,040
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in South Carolina
15th of 46
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Sumter moves to $1,338. That's up 5%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Sumter actually rent for?
Search any address in Sumter 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 | $880 | $792 to $968 | $35,200 | $16.92/hr | +4.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $972 | $875 to $1,069 | $38,880 | $18.69/hr | +2.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,276 | $1,148 to $1,404 | $51,040 | $24.54/hr | +4.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,530 | $1,377 to $1,683 | $61,200 | $29.42/hr | +3.7% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,871 | $1,684 to $2,058 | $74,840 | $35.98/hr | +8.8% |
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 | $2,152 | $1,937 to $2,367 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,432 | $2,189 to $2,675 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,713 | $2,442 to $2,984 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,994 | $2,695 to $3,293 |
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 Sumter, that runs from $880 for a studio up to $1,871 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Sumter is its own HUD metro area (Sumter, SC), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among South Carolina's 46 counties, Sumter ranks 15th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 18% above the state median of $1,077 and about 25% above the national median county at $1,018. About 105,199 people live here, 15th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $950 in 29104 (Mayesville) and $1,650 in 29152 (Shaw Afb), with the 11 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 Sumter somewhere between $1,148 and $1,404. 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.
$1,276 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $51,040 a year. Put another way, $25 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% ($1,148) | HAP at 100% ($1,276) | HAP at 110% ($1,404) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $398 | $526 | $654 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $76 | $204 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 4% from FY 2025 ($1,224) to FY 2026 ($1,276). Since FY 2020 it's up 61% in total, about 8.3% 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 | $614 | $641 | $793 | $1,068 | $1,194 | — |
| FY 2021 | $651 | $667 | $825 | $1,076 | $1,205 | +4.0% |
| FY 2022 | $586 | $689 | $851 | $1,067 | $1,193 | +3.2% |
| FY 2023 | $657 | $803 | $982 | $1,195 | $1,343 | +15.4% |
| FY 2024 | $790 | $933 | $1,165 | $1,409 | $1,552 | +18.6% |
| FY 2025 | $839 | $951 | $1,224 | $1,475 | $1,719 | +5.1% |
| FY 2026 | $880 | $972 | $1,276 | $1,530 | $1,871 | +4.2% |
| FY 2027 | $932 | $1,023 | $1,338 | $1,594 | $2,060 | +4.9% |
Nearby counties
Lee County
$90219 mi · pop 16,557
Clarendon County
$90220 mi · pop 31,163
Kershaw County
$1,00929 mi · pop 65,779
Calhoun County
$1,27630 mi · pop 14,145
Richland County
$1,27634 mi · pop 416,161
Darlington County
$1,09836 mi · pop 63,025
Florence County
$1,11740 mi · pop 137,015
Orangeburg County
$91040 mi · pop 84,159
Questions people ask
$1,276 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $880 for a studio, $972 for one bedroom, $1,530 for three and $1,871 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 Sumter actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Sumter for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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