HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Essex County, Vermont (FY 2027)
$1,167 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Essex County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Essex is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,167
+15.9% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,050–$1,284
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$46,680
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Vermont
14th of 14
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 | $914 | $823–$1,005 | $36,560 | $17.58/hr | +17.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,072 | $965–$1,179 | $42,880 | $20.62/hr | +16.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,167 | $1,050–$1,284 | $46,680 | $22.44/hr | +15.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,616 | $1,454–$1,778 | $64,640 | $31.08/hr | +15.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,834 | $1,651–$2,017 | $73,360 | $35.27/hr | +11.8% |
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 | $2,109 | $1,898–$2,320 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,384 | $2,146–$2,622 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,659 | $2,393–$2,925 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,934 | $2,641–$3,227 |
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 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.
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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 Essex somewhere between $1,050 and $1,284. 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.
$1,167 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $46,680 a year. Put another way, $22 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%$1,050 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,167 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,284 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $300 | $417 | $534 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $84 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 16% from FY 2026 ($1,007) to FY 2027 ($1,167). Since FY 2020 it's up 53% in total, about 6.3% a year. The Vermont median moved up 15% over the same year.
| Fiscal 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 2027In effect | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 | +15.9% |
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 Essex, that runs from $914 for a studio up to $1,834 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 $1,570 and about 10% above the national median county at $1,063. About 5,982 people live here, 14th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,070 in 05846 (Island Pond) and $1,770 in 05837 (East Haven), 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 | $1,240 | +6.3% |
| 05837 | East Haven | $1,770 | +51.7% |
| 05840 | Granby | $1,170 | +0.3% |
| 05846 | Island Pond | $1,070 | -8.3% |
| 05858 | North Concord | $1,290 | +10.5% |
| 05901 | Averill | $1,120 | -4.0% |
| 05902 | Beecher Falls | $1,330 | +14.0% |
| 05903 | Canaan | $1,150 | -1.5% |
| 05904 | Gilman | $1,230 | +5.4% |
| 05905 | Guildhall | $1,220 | +4.5% |
| 05906 | Lunenburg | $1,200 | +2.8% |
| 05907 | Norton | $1,250 | +7.1% |
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 2027, so the county number is the town number wherever you are.
| Town | Population | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunenburg town | 1,267 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Brighton town | 1,167 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Concord town | 1,145 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Canaan town | 810 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Guildhall town | 371 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Maidstone town | 241 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Bloomfield town | 234 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| East Haven town | 225 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Brunswick town | 109 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Lemington town | 108 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Norton town | 108 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Ferdinand town | 68 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Granby town | 67 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Victory town | 53 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Averill town | 9 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Avery's gore | 0 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Lewis town | 0 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Warner's grant | 0 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
| Warren's gore | 0 | $914 | $1,072 | $1,167 | $1,616 | $1,834 |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Essex.
Caledonia County
26 mi · 30,475 people
$1,327
+14%
Orleans County
26 mi · 27,606 people
$1,363
+17%
Lamoille County
46 mi · 26,148 people
$1,535
+32%
Washington County
52 mi · 60,017 people
$1,783
+53%
Franklin County
59 mi · 50,638 people
$2,165
+86%
Orange County
60 mi · 29,761 people
$1,581
+35%
Chittenden County
69 mi · 169,758 people
$2,165
+86%
Grand Isle County
74 mi · 7,450 people
$2,165
+86%
Questions people ask
$1,167 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $914 for a studio, $1,072 for one bedroom, $1,616 for three and $1,834 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 Essex actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Essex for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.