HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in King County, Washington (FY 2027)
$2,549 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in King County, and it's the baseline every voucher in King is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$2,549
+1.9% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$2,294–$2,804
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$101,960
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Washington
1st of 39
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 | $2,091 | $1,882–$2,300 | $83,640 | $40.21/hr | +0.8% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,180 | $1,962–$2,398 | $87,200 | $41.92/hr | +1.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,549 | $2,294–$2,804 | $101,960 | $49.02/hr | +1.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,324 | $2,992–$3,656 | $132,960 | $63.92/hr | +1.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,954 | $3,559–$4,349 | $158,160 | $76.04/hr | +2.8% |
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 | $4,547 | $4,092–$5,002 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $5,140 | $4,626–$5,654 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $5,733 | $5,160–$6,306 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $6,326 | $5,693–$6,959 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Seattle are asking $2,556. HUD says $2,549.
The two are within a couple percent of each other. Median asking rent across 20 Seattle ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
No card needed
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 King somewhere between $2,294 and $2,804. 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.
$2,549 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $101,960 a year. Put another way, $49 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%$2,294 | Voucher pays at 100%$2,549 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,804 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,544 | $1,799 | $2,054 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $1,094 | $1,349 | $1,604 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 2% from FY 2026 ($2,501) to FY 2027 ($2,549). Since FY 2020 it's up 21% in total, about 2.8% a year. The Washington median moved up 7% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,627 | $1,741 | $2,099 | $2,993 | $3,524 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,523 | $1,599 | $1,906 | $2,694 | $3,172 | -9.2% |
| FY 2022 | $1,674 | $1,739 | $2,044 | $2,796 | $3,285 | +7.2% |
| FY 2023 | $2,042 | $2,100 | $2,455 | $3,297 | $3,847 | +20.1% |
| FY 2024 | $2,211 | $2,269 | $2,645 | $3,510 | $4,080 | +7.7% |
| FY 2025 | $2,238 | $2,293 | $2,671 | $3,521 | $4,104 | +1.0% |
| FY 2026 | $2,074 | $2,146 | $2,501 | $3,272 | $3,847 | -6.4% |
| FY 2027In effect | $2,091 | $2,180 | $2,549 | $3,324 | $3,954 | +1.9% |
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 King, that runs from $2,091 for a studio up to $3,954 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 King in with one other county in the Seattle-Bellevue metro, Snohomish County among them, and every one of them gets $2,549 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 Washington's 39 counties, King ranks 1st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 74% above the state median of $1,467 and about 140% above the national median county at $1,063. About 2,287,171 people live here, 1st in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,950 in 98068 (Snoqualmie Pass) and $3,820 in 98004 (Bellevue), with the 113 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98001 | Auburn | $2,600 | +2.0% |
| 98002 | Auburn | $2,040 | -20.0% |
| 98003 | Federal Way | $2,240 | -12.1% |
| 98004 | Bellevue | $3,820 | +49.9% |
| 98005 | Bellevue | $2,950 | +15.7% |
| 98006 | Bellevue | $3,560 | +39.7% |
| 98007 | Bellevue | $3,030 | +18.9% |
| 98008 | Bellevue | $3,270 | +28.3% |
| 98009 | Bellevue | $2,600 | +2.0% |
| 98010 | Black Diamond | $2,590 | +1.6% |
| 98011 | Bothell | $2,750 | +7.9% |
| 98013 | Burton | $2,549County rate | — |
| 98014 | Carnation | $2,650 | +4.0% |
| 98015 | Bellevue | $2,600 | +2.0% |
| 98019 | Duvall | $3,480 | +36.5% |
| 98022 | Enumclaw | $2,130 | -16.4% |
| 98023 | Federal Way | $2,340 | -8.2% |
| 98024 | Fall City | $2,970 | +16.5% |
| 98025 | Hobart | $2,910 | +14.2% |
| 98027 | Issaquah | $2,950 | +15.7% |
| 98028 | Kenmore | $2,510 | -1.5% |
| 98029 | Issaquah | $3,310 | +29.9% |
| 98030 | Kent | $2,300 | -9.8% |
| 98031 | Kent | $2,500 | -1.9% |
| 98032 | Kent | $2,390 | -6.2% |
| 98033 | Kirkland | $3,330 | +30.6% |
| 98034 | Kirkland | $2,940 | +15.3% |
| 98035 | Kent | $2,600 | +2.0% |
| 98038 | Maple Valley | $2,900 | +13.8% |
| 98039 | Medina | $3,280 | +28.7% |
| 98040 | Mercer Island | $3,010 | +18.1% |
| 98041 | Bothell | $2,600 | +2.0% |
| 98042 | Kent | $2,640 | +3.6% |
| 98045 | North Bend | $2,660 | +4.4% |
| 98047 | Pacific | $2,170 | -14.9% |
| 98050 | Preston | $2,960 | +16.1% |
| 98051 | Ravensdale | $2,700 | +5.9% |
| 98052 | Redmond | $3,150 | +23.6% |
| 98053 | Redmond | $3,290 | +29.1% |
| 98055 | Renton | $2,650 | +4.0% |
Counties sharing the Seattle-Bellevue metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $2,549 two-bedroom figure as King.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to King.
Kitsap County
19 mi · 277,881 people
$1,967
-23%
Snohomish County
27 mi · 844,430 people
$2,549
same rate
Pierce County
28 mi · 930,319 people
$2,064
-19%
Jefferson County
38 mi · 33,577 people
$1,588
-38%
Mason County
42 mi · 67,982 people
$1,572
-38%
Island County
43 mi · 86,836 people
$1,824
-28%
Thurston County
50 mi · 299,067 people
$1,946
-24%
Skagit County
63 mi · 131,328 people
$1,668
-35%
Questions people ask
$2,549 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $2,091 for a studio, $2,180 for one bedroom, $3,324 for three and $3,954 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 King actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in King for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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