HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Essex County, Vermont (FY 2026)
$1,007 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Essex County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Essex is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,007
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$906 to $1,108
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$40,280
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Vermont
14th of 14
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Essex moves to $1,167. That's up 16%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Essex actually rent for?
Search any address in Essex 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 | $780 | $702 to $858 | $31,200 | $15.00/hr | -5.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $919 | $827 to $1,011 | $36,760 | $17.67/hr | +7.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,007 | $906 to $1,108 | $40,280 | $19.37/hr | +6.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,400 | $1,260 to $1,540 | $56,000 | $26.92/hr | +5.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,640 | $1,476 to $1,804 | $65,600 | $31.54/hr | +21.4% |
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 | $1,886 | $1,697 to $2,075 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,132 | $1,919 to $2,345 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,378 | $2,140 to $2,616 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,624 | $2,362 to $2,886 |
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 Essex, that runs from $780 for a studio up to $1,640 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Essex 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, Concord included.
Among Vermont's 14 counties, Essex ranks 14th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 26% below the state median of $1,362 and within a couple percent of the national median county at $1,018. About 5,972 people live here, 14th in the state.
Rates by town
Vermont publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. All 19 towns in Essex County share the same rate for FY 2026, so the county number is the town number wherever you are.
| Town | Population | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunenburg town | 1,403 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Concord town | 1,179 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Brighton town | 1,030 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Canaan town | 746 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Guildhall town | 359 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| East Haven town | 262 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Maidstone town | 247 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Bloomfield town | 244 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Brunswick town | 122 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Norton town | 112 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Ferdinand town | 92 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Lemington town | 86 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Victory town | 45 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Granby town | 40 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Averill town | 5 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Avery's gore | 0 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Lewis town | 0 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Warner's grant | 0 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
| Warren's gore | 0 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 |
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $990 in 05846 (Island Pond) and $1,380 in 05902 (Beecher Falls), with the 12 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.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05824 | Concord | $1,060 | +5.3% |
| 05837 | East Haven | $1,220 | +21.2% |
| 05840 | Granby | $1,010 | +0.3% |
| 05846 | Island Pond | $990 | -1.7% |
| 05858 | North Concord | $1,010 | +0.3% |
| 05901 | Averill | $1,020 | +1.3% |
| 05902 | Beecher Falls | $1,380 | +37.0% |
| 05903 | Canaan | $1,040 | +3.3% |
| 05904 | Gilman | $1,170 | +16.2% |
| 05905 | Guildhall | $1,130 | +12.2% |
| 05906 | Lunenburg | $1,010 | +0.3% |
| 05907 | Norton | $1,100 | +9.2% |
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 Essex somewhere between $906 and $1,108. 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.
$1,007 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,280 a year. Put another way, $19 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% ($906) | HAP at 100% ($1,007) | HAP at 110% ($1,108) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $156 | $257 | $358 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 6% from FY 2025 ($946) to FY 2026 ($1,007). Since FY 2020 it's up 32% in total, about 4.8% a year. The Vermont median moved up 6% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $580 | $603 | $762 | $983 | $1,080 | — |
| FY 2021 | $560 | $583 | $741 | $985 | $1,026 | -2.8% |
| FY 2022 | $585 | $654 | $781 | $1,032 | $1,085 | +5.4% |
| FY 2023 | $730 | $746 | $843 | $1,143 | $1,169 | +7.9% |
| FY 2024 | $812 | $834 | $936 | $1,301 | $1,319 | +11.0% |
| FY 2025 | $823 | $854 | $946 | $1,326 | $1,351 | +1.1% |
| FY 2026 | $780 | $919 | $1,007 | $1,400 | $1,640 | +6.4% |
| FY 2027 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 | +15.9% |
Nearby counties
Caledonia County
$1,15926 mi · pop 30,425
Orleans County
$1,18426 mi · pop 27,492
Lamoille County
$1,34546 mi · pop 26,036
Washington County
$1,48252 mi · pop 59,958
Franklin County
$2,14059 mi · pop 50,379
Orange County
$1,36260 mi · pop 29,594
Chittenden County
$2,14069 mi · pop 168,831
Grand Isle County
$2,14074 mi · pop 7,393
Questions people ask
$1,007 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $780 for a studio, $919 for one bedroom, $1,400 for three and $1,640 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 Essex actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Essex for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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