HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Charles City County, Virginia (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Charles City County is $1,655 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,655
-3.3% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,490–$1,821
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$66,200
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Virginia
35th of 133
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Charles City moves to $1,651. That's unchanged. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
FY 2026 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 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,442 | $1,298–$1,586 | $57,680 | $27.73/hr | -3.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,507 | $1,356–$1,658 | $60,280 | $28.98/hr | -2.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,655 | $1,490–$1,821 | $66,200 | $31.83/hr | -3.3% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,072 | $1,865–$2,279 | $82,880 | $39.85/hr | -4.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,553 | $2,298–$2,808 | $102,120 | $49.10/hr | -4.6% |
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 | $2,936 | $2,642–$3,230 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,319 | $2,987–$3,651 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,702 | $3,332–$4,072 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,085 | $3,677–$4,494 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Charles City actually rent for?
Search any address in Charles City 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 $1,490 and $1,821. 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 $66,200 a year to afford $1,655 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $32 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%$1,490 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,655 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,821 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $740 | $905 | $1,071 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $290 | $455 | $621 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 3% from FY 2025 ($1,711) to FY 2026 ($1,655). Since FY 2020 it's up 56% in total, about 7.7% a year. The Virginia median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $899 | $932 | $1,061 | $1,410 | $1,686 | — |
| FY 2021 | $993 | $1,020 | $1,163 | $1,538 | $1,840 | +9.6% |
| FY 2022 | $1,022 | $1,044 | $1,189 | $1,556 | $1,864 | +2.2% |
| FY 2023 | $1,157 | $1,183 | $1,336 | $1,727 | $2,100 | +12.4% |
| FY 2024 | $1,328 | $1,365 | $1,532 | $1,959 | $2,393 | +14.7% |
| FY 2025 | $1,488 | $1,545 | $1,711 | $2,166 | $2,677 | +11.7% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,442 | $1,507 | $1,655 | $2,072 | $2,553 | -3.3% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,456 | $1,517 | $1,651 | $2,039 | $2,499 | -0.2% |
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 2026 runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, and in Charles City County the five published rates run from $1,442 to $2,553, studio through four bedrooms.
Charles City doesn't get its own number. It sits inside the Richmond metro and shares one rate with 15 other counties, including Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Richmond city. HUD sets metro FMRs from rents across the whole metro, which is why a rural corner of a big metro can carry a city-sized rate.
The state median two-bedroom FMR is $1,254. Charles City comes in at $1,655, about 32% above that, and ranks 35th of 133 in Virginia. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 63% above. Population is around 6,760.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the 2 ZIP codes it covers in Charles City, the two-bedroom rate is $1,540 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
Counties sharing the Richmond metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,655 two-bedroom figure as Charles City.
Chesterfield County
366,019 people
$1,655
Henrico County
333,120 people
$1,655
Richmond city
227,171 people
$1,655
Hanover County
110,513 people
$1,655
Prince George County
42,634 people
$1,655
Petersburg city
33,261 people
$1,655
Powhatan County
30,503 people
$1,655
Dinwiddie County
28,057 people
$1,655
Goochland County
24,906 people
$1,655
New Kent County
23,296 people
$1,655
Hopewell city
23,046 people
$1,655
Colonial Heights city
18,158 people
$1,655
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Charles City.
New Kent County
8 mi · 23,296 people
$1,655
same rate
Hopewell city
14 mi · 23,046 people
$1,655
same rate
James City County
17 mi · 78,818 people
$1,713
+4%
Prince George County
17 mi · 42,634 people
$1,655
same rate
Williamsburg city
18 mi · 15,486 people
$1,713
+4%
Surry County
19 mi · 6,546 people
$1,039
-37%
Colonial Heights city
20 mi · 18,158 people
$1,655
same rate
Henrico County
22 mi · 333,120 people
$1,655
same rate
Questions people ask
$1,655 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,442 for a studio, $1,507 for one bedroom, $2,072 for three and $2,553 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 Charles City actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Charles City for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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