HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Covington city, Virginia (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in Covington city carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $943 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Covington keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$943
+3.2% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$849–$1,037
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$37,720
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Virginia
129th of 133
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 | $786 | $707–$865 | $31,440 | $15.12/hr | +1.7% |
| 1 bedroom | $790 | $711–$869 | $31,600 | $15.19/hr | +1.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $943 | $849–$1,037 | $37,720 | $18.13/hr | +3.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,246 | $1,121–$1,371 | $49,840 | $23.96/hr | -1.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,389 | $1,250–$1,528 | $55,560 | $26.71/hr | +2.3% |
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 | $1,597 | $1,437–$1,757 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,806 | $1,625–$1,987 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,014 | $1,813–$2,215 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,222 | $2,000–$2,444 |
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 Covington actually rent for?
Search any address in Covington 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 $849 and $1,037. 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 $37,720 a year to afford $943 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $18 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%$849 | Voucher pays at 100%$943 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,037 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $99 | $193 | $287 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2026 ($914) to FY 2027 ($943). Since FY 2020 it's up 27% in total, about 3.5% a year. The Virginia median moved up 1% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $499 | $570 | $740 | $1,048 | $1,056 | — |
| FY 2021 | $495 | $558 | $735 | $958 | $1,142 | -0.7% |
| FY 2022 | $584 | $587 | $739 | $914 | $1,091 | +0.5% |
| FY 2023 | $647 | $651 | $812 | $1,028 | $1,173 | +9.9% |
| FY 2024 | $749 | $753 | $905 | $1,197 | $1,254 | +11.5% |
| FY 2025 | $736 | $738 | $851 | $1,192 | $1,281 | -6.0% |
| FY 2026 | $773 | $778 | $914 | $1,259 | $1,358 | +7.4% |
| FY 2027In effect | $786 | $790 | $943 | $1,246 | $1,389 | +3.2% |
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 2027 runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, and in Covington city the five published rates run from $786 to $1,389, studio through four bedrooms.
Covington is a nonmetro city, so HUD sets its FMR from rents in the city itself rather than a wider metro. The number applies city-wide, from Covington on out.
The state median two-bedroom FMR is $1,262. Covington comes in at $943, about 25% below that, and ranks 129th of 133 in Virginia. Against the national median county ($1,063) it's about 11% below. Population is around 5,680.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the one ZIP code it covers in Covington, the two-bedroom rate is $1,130 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24426 | Covington | $1,130 | +19.8% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Covington.
Alleghany County
9 mi · 14,859 people
$943
same rate
Botetourt County
20 mi · 34,004 people
$1,464
+55%
Craig County
21 mi · 4,856 people
$1,464
+55%
Bath County
24 mi · 4,100 people
$1,010
+7%
Lexington city
29 mi · 7,525 people
$1,057
+12%
Rockbridge County
33 mi · 22,531 people
$1,057
+12%
Salem city
34 mi · 25,618 people
$1,464
+55%
Roanoke County
35 mi · 97,023 people
$1,464
+55%
Questions people ask
$943 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $786 for a studio, $790 for one bedroom, $1,246 for three and $1,389 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 Covington actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Covington for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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