HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Sterling County, Texas (FY 2027)
$1,185 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Sterling County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Sterling is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,185
+4.6% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,067–$1,304
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$47,400
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Texas
85th of 254
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 | $901 | $811–$991 | $36,040 | $17.33/hr | +14.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $943 | $849–$1,037 | $37,720 | $18.13/hr | +4.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,185 | $1,067–$1,304 | $47,400 | $22.79/hr | +4.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,412 | $1,271–$1,553 | $56,480 | $27.15/hr | -7.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,707 | $1,536–$1,878 | $68,280 | $32.83/hr | -8.8% |
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 | $1,963 | $1,767–$2,159 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,219 | $1,997–$2,441 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,475 | $2,228–$2,723 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,731 | $2,458–$3,004 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Sterling actually rent for?
Search any address in Sterling for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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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 Sterling somewhere between $1,067 and $1,304. 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.
$1,185 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $47,400 a year. Put another way, $23 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%$1,067 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,185 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,304 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $317 | $435 | $554 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $104 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2026 ($1,133) to FY 2027 ($1,185). Since FY 2020 it's up 60% in total, about 6.9% a year. The Texas median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $549 | $592 | $741 | $984 | $1,114 | — |
| FY 2021 | $580 | $628 | $791 | $1,044 | $1,170 | +6.7% |
| FY 2022 | $659 | $790 | $992 | $1,314 | $1,629 | +25.4% |
| FY 2023 | $714 | $853 | $1,068 | $1,396 | $1,803 | +7.7% |
| FY 2024 | $777 | $925 | $1,146 | $1,516 | $1,906 | +7.3% |
| FY 2025 | $863 | $998 | $1,258 | $1,687 | $2,078 | +9.8% |
| FY 2026 | $789 | $899 | $1,133 | $1,519 | $1,871 | -9.9% |
| FY 2027In effect | $901 | $943 | $1,185 | $1,412 | $1,707 | +4.6% |
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 Sterling, that runs from $901 for a studio up to $1,707 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Sterling 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, Sterling City included.
Among Texas's 254 counties, Sterling ranks 85th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 7% above the state median of $1,105 and about 11% above the national median county at $1,063. About 1,468 people live here, 238th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the one ZIP code it covers in Sterling, the two-bedroom rate is $1,190 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76951 | Sterling City | $1,190 | +0.4% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Sterling.
Glasscock County
31 mi · 1,068 people
$1,078
-9%
Coke County
33 mi · 3,353 people
$1,014
-14%
Howard County
39 mi · 32,290 people
$1,217
+3%
Mitchell County
39 mi · 9,018 people
$1,118
-6%
Irion County
42 mi · 1,409 people
$1,350
+14%
Reagan County
43 mi · 3,232 people
$1,014
-14%
Tom Green County
43 mi · 119,577 people
$1,350
+14%
Nolan County
48 mi · 14,454 people
$1,087
-8%
Questions people ask
$1,185 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $901 for a studio, $943 for one bedroom, $1,412 for three and $1,707 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 Sterling actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Sterling for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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