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

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $906 to $1,108. 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.

Does Hancock County have its own Fair Market Rent?

No. It uses the Weirton-Steubenville metro rate, shared with 2 other counties. HUD sets one FMR for the whole metro area, so Hancock gets the same $1,007 two-bedroom figure as Jefferson County.

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

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Hancock those run from $1,000 to $1,060 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 Hancock 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 West Virginia figures are loaded.

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

Fair Market Rent in Hancock County, West Virginia (FY 2027)

$1,007 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Hancock County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Hancock is measured against.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,007

+3.5% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$906–$1,108

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

Income to afford

$40,280

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in West Virginia

14th of 55

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	$771	$694–$848	$30,840	$14.83/hr	+2.5%
1 bedroom	$776	$698–$854	$31,040	$14.92/hr	+2.5%
2 bedroom	$1,007	$906–$1,108	$40,280	$19.37/hr	+3.5%
3 bedroom	$1,298	$1,168–$1,428	$51,920	$24.96/hr	+1.0%
4 bedroom	$1,514	$1,363–$1,665	$60,560	$29.12/hr	+2.2%

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	$1,741	$1,567–$1,915
6 bedroom Estimate	$1,968	$1,771–$2,165
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,195	$1,976–$2,415
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,422	$2,180–$2,664

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 Hancock actually rent for?

Search any address in Hancock 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 Hancock somewhere between $906 and $1,108. 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.

$1,007 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,280 a year. Put another way, $19 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%$906	Voucher pays at 100%$1,007	Voucher pays at 110%$1,108
$2,500	$750	$156	$257	$358
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$0	$0

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2026 ($973) to FY 2027 ($1,007). Since FY 2020 it's up 45% in total, about 5.4% a year. The West Virginia median moved up 4% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$453	$550	$696	$896	$962	—
FY 2021	$511	$576	$734	$960	$1,051	+5.5%
FY 2022	$557	$578	$738	$997	$1,078	+0.5%
FY 2023	$619	$623	$794	$1,072	$1,151	+7.6%
FY 2024	$660	$678	$860	$1,177	$1,279	+8.3%
FY 2025	$706	$711	$899	$1,197	$1,352	+4.5%
FY 2026	$752	$757	$973	$1,285	$1,482	+8.2%
FY 2027In effect	$771	$776	$1,007	$1,298	$1,514	+3.5%

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 Hancock, that runs from $771 for a studio up to $1,514 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 Hancock in with 2 other counties in the Weirton-Steubenville metro, Jefferson County, Brooke County among them, and every one of them gets $1,007 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 West Virginia's 55 counties, Hancock ranks 14th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 5% above the state median of $955 and about 5% below the national median county at $1,063. About 28,431 people live here, 19th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,000 in 26050 (Newell) and $1,060 in 26047 (New Cumberland), with the 5 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
26034	Chester	$1,040	+3.3%
26047	New Cumberland	$1,060	+5.3%
26050	Newell	$1,000	-0.7%
26056	New Manchester	$1,060	+5.3%
26062	Weirton	$1,000	-0.7%

Counties sharing the Weirton-Steubenville metro rate

HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,007 two-bedroom figure as Hancock.

Jefferson County

OH · 64,518 people

$1,007

Brooke County

21,805 people

$1,007

Nearby counties

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

Brooke County

20 mi · 21,805 people

$1,007

same rate

Ohio County

29 mi · 41,582 people

$1,009

same rate

Marshall County

44 mi · 29,865 people

$1,009

same rate

Wetzel County

65 mi · 14,078 people

$944

-6%

Monongalia County

68 mi · 107,163 people

$1,143

+14%

Marion County

73 mi · 55,909 people

$1,071

+6%

Tyler County

75 mi · 8,064 people

$944

-6%

Harrison County

85 mi · 64,984 people

$1,005

same rate

Questions people ask

$1,007 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $771 for a studio, $776 for one bedroom, $1,298 for three and $1,514 for four.

Tools for this county

All West Virginia counties All states

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

Fair Market Rent in Hancock County, West Virginia (FY 2027)

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Hancock actually rent for?

What a voucher pays here

Rate history

About this rate

Rates by ZIP code

Counties sharing the Weirton-Steubenville metro rate

Nearby counties

Questions people ask

Tools for this county

What does a rental in Hancock actually go for?