How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Thurston County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,751 to $2,141. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Thurston County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Thurston those run from $1,770 to $2,280 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Thurston County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Washington figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in Thurston County, Washington (FY 2027)

HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Thurston County is $1,946 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,946

-0.7% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,751–$2,141

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$77,840

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Washington

6th 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	$1,586	$1,427–$1,745	$63,440	$30.50/hr	+3.1%
1 bedroom	$1,656	$1,490–$1,822	$66,240	$31.85/hr	-1.5%
2 bedroom	$1,946	$1,751–$2,141	$77,840	$37.42/hr	-0.7%
3 bedroom	$2,541	$2,287–$2,795	$101,640	$48.87/hr	-2.8%
4 bedroom	$3,141	$2,827–$3,455	$125,640	$60.40/hr	-4.5%

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	$3,612	$3,251–$3,973
6 bedroom Estimate	$4,083	$3,675–$4,491
7 bedroom Estimate	$4,554	$4,099–$5,009
8 bedroom Estimate	$5,026	$4,523–$5,529

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 Thurston actually rent for?

Search any address in Thurston 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 Thurston somewhere between $1,751 and $2,141. 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.

$1,946 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $77,840 a year. Put another way, $37 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%$1,751	Voucher pays at 100%$1,946	Voucher pays at 110%$2,141
$2,500	$750	$1,001	$1,196	$1,391
$4,000	$1,200	$551	$746	$941

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went down 1% from FY 2026 ($1,960) to FY 2027 ($1,946). Since FY 2020 it's up 66% in total, about 7.5% 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	$954	$960	$1,171	$1,689	$2,056	—
FY 2021	$1,021	$1,026	$1,241	$1,776	$2,149	+6.0%
FY 2022	$1,035	$1,076	$1,273	$1,808	$2,179	+2.6%
FY 2023	$1,127	$1,245	$1,456	$2,069	$2,480	+14.4%
FY 2024	$1,341	$1,554	$1,802	$2,531	$3,058	+23.8%
FY 2025	$1,393	$1,585	$1,843	$2,526	$3,095	+2.3%
FY 2026	$1,538	$1,682	$1,960	$2,613	$3,288	+6.3%
FY 2027In effect	$1,586	$1,656	$1,946	$2,541	$3,141	-0.7%

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 Thurston, that runs from $1,586 for a studio up to $3,141 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Thurston is its own HUD metro area (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among Washington's 39 counties, Thurston ranks 6th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 33% above the state median of $1,467 and about 83% above the national median county at $1,063. About 299,067 people live here, 6th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,770 in 98530 (Bucoda) and $2,280 in 98516 (Olympia), with the 19 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
98501	Olympia	$1,930	-0.8%
98502	Olympia	$1,880	-3.4%
98503	Lacey	$1,960	+0.7%
98504	Olympia	$1,946County rate	—
98505	Olympia	$1,880	-3.4%
98506	Olympia	$1,780	-8.5%
98507	Olympia	$1,950	+0.2%
98508	Olympia	$1,950	+0.2%
98509	Lacey	$1,950	+0.2%
98511	Tumwater	$1,950	+0.2%
98512	Olympia	$1,980	+1.7%
98513	Olympia	$2,200	+13.1%
98516	Olympia	$2,280	+17.2%
98530	Bucoda	$1,770	-9.0%
98540	East Olympia	$1,950	+0.2%
98556	Littlerock	$1,980	+1.7%
98576	Rainier	$1,770	-9.0%
98579	Rochester	$1,770	-9.0%
98589	Tenino	$1,770	-9.0%
98597	Yelm	$1,850	-4.9%
98599	Olympia	$1,946County rate	—

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Thurston.

Pierce County

25 mi · 930,319 people

$2,064

+6%

Mason County

28 mi · 67,982 people

$1,572

-19%

Lewis County

29 mi · 85,154 people

$1,435

-26%

Kitsap County

46 mi · 277,881 people

$1,967

+1%

Grays Harbor County

47 mi · 77,053 people

$1,345

-31%

King County

50 mi · 2,287,171 people

$2,549

+31%

Wahkiakum County

57 mi · 4,658 people

$1,183

-39%

Cowlitz County

58 mi · 112,360 people

$1,398

-28%

Questions people ask

$1,946 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,586 for a studio, $1,656 for one bedroom, $2,541 for three and $3,141 for four.

Tools for this county

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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