HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Mathews County, Virginia (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in Mathews County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,667 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Mathews keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,667
-2.7% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,500–$1,834
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$66,680
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Virginia
18th 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 | $1,470 | $1,323–$1,617 | $58,800 | $28.27/hr | -1.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,488 | $1,339–$1,637 | $59,520 | $28.62/hr | -1.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,667 | $1,500–$1,834 | $66,680 | $32.06/hr | -2.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,298 | $2,068–$2,528 | $91,920 | $44.19/hr | -3.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,710 | $2,439–$2,981 | $108,400 | $52.12/hr | -3.1% |
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 | $3,117 | $2,805–$3,429 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,523 | $3,171–$3,875 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,930 | $3,537–$4,323 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,336 | $3,902–$4,770 |
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 Mathews actually rent for?
Search any address in Mathews 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 Mathews somewhere between $1,500 and $1,834. 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.
$1,667 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $66,680 a year. Put another way, $32 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%$1,500 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,667 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,834 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $750 | $917 | $1,084 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $300 | $467 | $634 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 3% from FY 2026 ($1,713) to FY 2027 ($1,667). Since FY 2020 it's up 47% in total, about 5.6% 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 | $952 | $958 | $1,136 | $1,603 | $1,994 | — |
| FY 2021 | $960 | $972 | $1,147 | $1,618 | $1,986 | +1.0% |
| FY 2022 | $993 | $1,015 | $1,193 | $1,676 | $2,042 | +4.0% |
| FY 2023 | $1,116 | $1,137 | $1,329 | $1,857 | $2,264 | +11.4% |
| FY 2024 | $1,279 | $1,287 | $1,493 | $2,079 | $2,532 | +12.3% |
| FY 2025 | $1,475 | $1,483 | $1,696 | $2,361 | $2,809 | +13.6% |
| FY 2026 | $1,492 | $1,512 | $1,713 | $2,376 | $2,797 | +1.0% |
| FY 2027In effect | $1,470 | $1,488 | $1,667 | $2,298 | $2,710 | -2.7% |
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 Mathews, that runs from $1,470 for a studio up to $2,710 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Mathews in with 14 other counties in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro, Virginia Beach city, Chesapeake city, Norfolk city among them, and every one of them gets $1,667 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Mathews ranks 18th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 32% above the state median of $1,262 and about 57% above the national median county at $1,063. About 8,540 people live here, 118th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,240 in 23109 (Mathews) and $1,510 in 23138 (Port Haywood), with the 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23021 | Bohannon | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23025 | Cardinal | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23035 | Cobbs Creek | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23045 | Diggs | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23056 | Foster | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23064 | Grimstead | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23066 | Gwynn | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23068 | Hallieford | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23076 | Hudgins | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23109 | Mathews | $1,240 | -25.6% |
| 23119 | Moon | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23125 | New Point | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23128 | North | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23130 | Onemo | $1,320 | -20.8% |
| 23138 | Port Haywood | $1,510 | -9.4% |
| 23163 | Susan | $1,510 | -9.4% |
Counties sharing the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,667 two-bedroom figure as Mathews.
Virginia Beach city
456,349 people
$1,667
Chesapeake city
252,583 people
$1,667
Norfolk city
233,596 people
$1,667
Newport News city
184,216 people
$1,667
Hampton city
137,557 people
$1,667
Suffolk city
98,796 people
$1,667
Portsmouth city
97,190 people
$1,667
James City County
81,013 people
$1,667
York County
71,005 people
$1,667
Isle of Wight County
39,974 people
$1,667
Gloucester County
39,526 people
$1,667
Currituck County
NC · 30,601 people
$1,667
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Mathews.
Gloucester County
11 mi · 39,526 people
$1,667
same rate
Middlesex County
16 mi · 10,847 people
$1,259
-24%
York County
19 mi · 71,005 people
$1,667
same rate
Poquoson city
21 mi · 12,639 people
$1,667
same rate
Lancaster County
22 mi · 10,936 people
$1,091
-35%
Northampton County
23 mi · 12,059 people
$992
-40%
Newport News city
24 mi · 184,216 people
$1,667
same rate
Williamsburg city
24 mi · 15,798 people
$1,667
same rate
Questions people ask
$1,667 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,470 for a studio, $1,488 for one bedroom, $2,298 for three and $2,710 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 Mathews actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Mathews for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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