HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Mathews County, Virginia (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Mathews County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,713 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Mathews keys off that figure.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,713
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,542 to $1,884
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$68,520
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Virginia
23rd of 133
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Mathews moves to $1,667. That's down 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
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.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,492 | $1,343 to $1,641 | $59,680 | $28.69/hr | +1.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,512 | $1,361 to $1,663 | $60,480 | $29.08/hr | +2.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,713 | $1,542 to $1,884 | $68,520 | $32.94/hr | +1.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,376 | $2,138 to $2,614 | $95,040 | $45.69/hr | +0.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,797 | $2,517 to $3,077 | $111,880 | $53.79/hr | -0.4% |
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 | $3,217 | $2,895 to $3,539 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,636 | $3,272 to $4,000 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,056 | $3,650 to $4,462 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,475 | $4,028 to $4,923 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Mathews, that runs from $1,492 for a studio up to $2,797 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 $1,713 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 23rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 37% above the state median of $1,254 and about 68% above the national median county at $1,018. About 8,537 people live here, 118th in the state.
Counties sharing the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro rate
Virginia Beach city
$1,713VA · pop 457,900
Chesapeake city
$1,713VA · pop 249,377
Norfolk city
$1,713VA · pop 236,973
Newport News city
$1,713VA · pop 185,118
Hampton city
$1,713VA · pop 137,217
Portsmouth city
$1,713VA · pop 97,384
Suffolk city
$1,713VA · pop 94,856
James City County
$1,713VA · pop 78,818
York County
$1,713VA · pop 70,238
Isle of Wight County
$1,713VA · pop 38,898
Gloucester County
$1,713VA · pop 38,875
Currituck County
$1,713NC · pop 28,616
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,270 in 23109 (Mathews) and $1,670 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 | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23025 | Cardinal | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23035 | Cobbs Creek | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23045 | Diggs | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23056 | Foster | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23064 | Grimstead | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23066 | Gwynn | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23068 | Hallieford | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23076 | Hudgins | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23109 | Mathews | $1,270 | -25.9% |
| 23119 | Moon | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23125 | New Point | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23128 | North | $1,410 | -17.7% |
| 23130 | Onemo | $1,440 | -15.9% |
| 23138 | Port Haywood | $1,670 | -2.5% |
| 23163 | Susan | $1,670 | -2.5% |
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 $1,542 and $1,884. 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.
$1,713 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $68,520 a year. Put another way, $33 an hour full time.
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% ($1,542) | HAP at 100% ($1,713) | HAP at 110% ($1,884) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $792 | $963 | $1,134 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $342 | $513 | $684 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2025 ($1,696) to FY 2026 ($1,713). Since FY 2020 it's up 51% in total, about 7.1% 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 | $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 2027 | $1,470 | $1,488 | $1,667 | $2,298 | $2,710 | -2.7% |
Nearby counties
Gloucester County
$1,71311 mi · pop 38,875
Middlesex County
$1,29116 mi · pop 10,738
York County
$1,71319 mi · pop 70,238
Poquoson city
$1,71321 mi · pop 12,479
Lancaster County
$1,05222 mi · pop 10,866
Northampton County
$94923 mi · pop 12,132
Newport News city
$1,71324 mi · pop 185,118
Williamsburg city
$1,71324 mi · pop 15,486
Questions people ask
$1,713 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,492 for a studio, $1,512 for one bedroom, $2,376 for three and $2,797 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 Mathews actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Mathews for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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