HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Clay County, Tennessee (FY 2026)
$925 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Clay County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Clay is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$925
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$833 to $1,018
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$37,000
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Tennessee
65th of 95
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Clay moves to $995. That's up 8%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Clay actually rent for?
Search any address in Clay 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 | $700 | $630 to $770 | $28,000 | $13.46/hr | +2.8% |
| 1 bedroom | $705 | $635 to $776 | $28,200 | $13.56/hr | +2.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $925 | $833 to $1,018 | $37,000 | $17.79/hr | +2.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,286 | $1,157 to $1,415 | $51,440 | $24.73/hr | +2.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,289 | $1,160 to $1,418 | $51,560 | $24.79/hr | +2.4% |
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 | $1,482 | $1,334 to $1,630 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,676 | $1,508 to $1,844 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,869 | $1,682 to $2,056 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,062 | $1,856 to $2,268 |
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 Clay, that runs from $700 for a studio up to $1,289 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Clay sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a county-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the county, Celina included.
Among Tennessee's 95 counties, Clay ranks 65th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 5% below the state median of $975 and about 9% below the national median county at $1,018. About 7,592 people live here, 90th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the 2 ZIP codes it covers in Clay, the two-bedroom rate is $930 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
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 Clay somewhere between $833 and $1,018. 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.
$925 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $37,000 a year. Put another way, $18 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% ($833) | HAP at 100% ($925) | HAP at 110% ($1,018) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $83 | $175 | $268 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($899) to FY 2026 ($925). Since FY 2020 it's up 43% in total, about 6.1% a year. The Tennessee median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $492 | $509 | $649 | $906 | $969 | — |
| FY 2021 | $514 | $519 | $663 | $949 | $957 | +2.2% |
| FY 2022 | $528 | $532 | $676 | $960 | $1,080 | +2.0% |
| FY 2023 | $589 | $593 | $747 | $1,062 | $1,168 | +10.5% |
| FY 2024 | $651 | $655 | $861 | $1,213 | $1,277 | +15.3% |
| FY 2025 | $681 | $685 | $899 | $1,254 | $1,259 | +4.4% |
| FY 2026 | $700 | $705 | $925 | $1,286 | $1,289 | +2.9% |
| FY 2027 | $756 | $761 | $995 | $1,360 | $1,365 | +7.6% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$925 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $700 for a studio, $705 for one bedroom, $1,286 for three and $1,289 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 Clay actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Clay for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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