HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Thomas is $1,467 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,467
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,320 to $1,614
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$58,680
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in U.S. Virgin Islands
2nd of 3
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in St. Thomas moves to $1,509. That's up 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in St. Thomas actually rent for?
Search any address in St. Thomas 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 | $1,024 | $922 to $1,126 | $40,960 | $19.69/hr | -7.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,189 | $1,070 to $1,308 | $47,560 | $22.87/hr | -7.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,467 | $1,320 to $1,614 | $58,680 | $28.21/hr | -8.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,759 | $1,583 to $1,935 | $70,360 | $33.83/hr | -9.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,942 | $1,748 to $2,136 | $77,680 | $37.35/hr | -8.7% |
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 | $2,233 | $2,010 to $2,456 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,525 | $2,273 to $2,778 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,816 | $2,534 to $3,098 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,107 | $2,796 to $3,418 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
HUD sets Fair Market Rent once a year, based on what typical units in the area actually rent for, with utilities folded in. FY 2026 runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, and in St. Thomas the five published rates run from $1,024 to $1,942, studio through four bedrooms.
St. Thomas is a nonmetro county, so HUD sets its FMR from rents in the county itself rather than a wider metro. The number applies county-wide.
The state median two-bedroom FMR is $1,467. St. Thomas comes in at $1,467, within a couple percent of that, and ranks 2nd of 3 in U.S. Virgin Islands. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 44% above. Population is around 51,181.
What a voucher pays here
The FMR isn't the check you'd receive. Your local housing authority turns it into a payment standard, set between 90% and 110% of FMR, so a two-bedroom here lands between $1,320 and $1,614. Subtract about 30% of the tenant's income and that's the housing assistance payment. If you ask more than similar unassisted units rent for, the PHA's rent reasonableness check will push back.
At the standard 30% of income, a household needs about $58,680 a year to afford $1,467 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $28 an hour.
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% ($1,320) | HAP at 100% ($1,467) | HAP at 110% ($1,614) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $570 | $717 | $864 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $120 | $267 | $414 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 9% from FY 2025 ($1,605) to FY 2026 ($1,467). Since FY 2020 it's up 27% in total, about 4.1% a year. The U.S. Virgin Islands median moved down 9% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $763 | $921 | $1,152 | $1,436 | $1,561 | — |
| FY 2021 | $797 | $962 | $1,204 | $1,498 | $1,633 | +4.5% |
| FY 2022 | $832 | $1,001 | $1,253 | $1,549 | $1,699 | +4.1% |
| FY 2023 | $903 | $1,079 | $1,350 | $1,643 | $1,814 | +7.7% |
| FY 2024 | $1,059 | $1,249 | $1,563 | $1,890 | $2,082 | +15.8% |
| FY 2025 | $1,101 | $1,282 | $1,605 | $1,934 | $2,128 | +2.7% |
| FY 2026 | $1,024 | $1,189 | $1,467 | $1,759 | $1,942 | -8.6% |
| FY 2027 | $1,054 | $1,223 | $1,509 | $1,809 | $1,983 | +2.9% |
Questions people ask
$1,467 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,024 for a studio, $1,189 for one bedroom, $1,759 for three and $1,942 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 St. Thomas actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. Thomas for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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