HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (FY 2027)
HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Thomas is $1,509 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,509
+2.9% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,358–$1,660
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$60,360
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in U.S. Virgin Islands
2nd of 3
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 | $1,054 | $949–$1,159 | $42,160 | $20.27/hr | +2.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,223 | $1,101–$1,345 | $48,920 | $23.52/hr | +2.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,509 | $1,358–$1,660 | $60,360 | $29.02/hr | +2.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,809 | $1,628–$1,990 | $72,360 | $34.79/hr | +2.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,983 | $1,785–$2,181 | $79,320 | $38.13/hr | +2.1% |
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 | $2,280 | $2,052–$2,508 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,578 | $2,320–$2,836 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,875 | $2,588–$3,163 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,173 | $2,856–$3,490 |
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 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.
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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 $1,358 and $1,660. 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 $60,360 a year to afford $1,509 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $29 an hour.
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%$1,358 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,509 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,660 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $608 | $759 | $910 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $158 | $309 | $460 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2026 ($1,467) to FY 2027 ($1,509). Since FY 2020 it's up 31% in total, about 3.9% a year. The U.S. Virgin Islands median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Fiscal 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 2027In effect | $1,054 | $1,223 | $1,509 | $1,809 | $1,983 | +2.9% |
About this rate
HUD sets Fair Market Rent once a year, based on what typical units in the area actually rent for, with utilities folded in. FY 2027 runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, and in St. Thomas the five published rates run from $1,054 to $1,983, 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 $1,509. St. Thomas comes in at $1,509, within a couple percent of that, and ranks 2nd of 3 in U.S. Virgin Islands. Against the national median county ($1,063) it's about 42% above. Population is around 51,181.
Questions people ask
$1,509 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,054 for a studio, $1,223 for one bedroom, $1,809 for three and $1,983 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 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. Free to start, no card.
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