HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Covington city, Virginia (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Covington city carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $914 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Covington keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$914
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$823 to $1,005
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$36,560
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Virginia
129th of 133
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Covington moves to $943. That's up 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
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.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $773 | $696 to $850 | $30,920 | $14.87/hr | +5.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $778 | $700 to $856 | $31,120 | $14.96/hr | +5.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $914 | $823 to $1,005 | $36,560 | $17.58/hr | +7.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,259 | $1,133 to $1,385 | $50,360 | $24.21/hr | +5.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,358 | $1,222 to $1,494 | $54,320 | $26.12/hr | +6.0% |
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 | $1,562 | $1,406 to $1,718 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,765 | $1,589 to $1,942 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,969 | $1,772 to $2,166 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,173 | $1,956 to $2,390 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
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 Covington city the five published rates run from $773 to $1,358, 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 $1,254. Covington comes in at $914, about 27% below that, and ranks 129th of 133 in Virginia. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 10% below. Population is around 5,722.
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 $1,030 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24426 | Covington | $1,030 | +12.7% |
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 $823 and $1,005. 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 $36,560 a year to afford $914 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $18 an hour.
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% ($823) | HAP at 100% ($914) | HAP at 110% ($1,005) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $73 | $164 | $255 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 7% from FY 2025 ($851) to FY 2026 ($914). Since FY 2020 it's up 24% in total, about 3.6% a year. The Virginia median moved up 5% over the same year.
| 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 2027 | $786 | $790 | $943 | $1,246 | $1,389 | +3.2% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$914 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $773 for a studio, $778 for one bedroom, $1,259 for three and $1,358 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 Covington actually go for?
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