HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Dane County, Wisconsin (FY 2026)
$1,694 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Dane County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Dane is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,694
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,525 to $1,863
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$67,760
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Wisconsin
3rd of 72
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Dane moves to $1,565. That's down 8%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Dane actually rent for?
Search any address in Dane 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 | $1,268 | $1,141 to $1,395 | $50,720 | $24.38/hr | +17.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,482 | $1,334 to $1,630 | $59,280 | $28.50/hr | +15.6% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,694 | $1,525 to $1,863 | $67,760 | $32.58/hr | +15.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,236 | $2,012 to $2,460 | $89,440 | $43.00/hr | +15.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,509 | $2,258 to $2,760 | $100,360 | $48.25/hr | +16.1% |
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 | $2,885 | $2,597 to $3,174 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,262 | $2,936 to $3,588 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,638 | $3,274 to $4,002 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,014 | $3,613 to $4,415 |
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 Dane, that runs from $1,268 for a studio up to $2,509 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Dane is its own HUD metro area (Madison, WI), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Wisconsin's 72 counties, Dane ranks 3rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 68% above the state median of $1,010 and about 66% above the national median county at $1,018. About 559,891 people live here, 2nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,330 in 53508 (Belleville) and $2,100 in 53715 (Madison), with the 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53508 | Belleville | $1,330 | -21.5% |
| 53515 | Black Earth | $1,330 | -21.5% |
| 53517 | Blue Mounds | $1,430 | -15.6% |
| 53523 | Cambridge | $1,330 | -21.5% |
| 53527 | Cottage Grove | $1,950 | +15.1% |
| 53528 | Cross Plains | $1,610 | -5.0% |
| 53529 | Dane | $1,500 | -11.5% |
| 53531 | Deerfield | $1,330 | -21.5% |
| 53532 | Deforest | $1,710 | +0.9% |
| 53558 | Mc Farland | $1,860 | +9.8% |
| 53559 | Marshall | $1,330 | -21.5% |
| 53560 | Mazomanie | $1,350 | -20.3% |
| 53562 | Middleton | $1,730 | +2.1% |
| 53571 | Morrisonville | $1,630 | -3.8% |
| 53572 | Mount Horeb | $1,590 | -6.1% |
| 53575 | Oregon | $1,500 | -11.5% |
| 53589 | Stoughton | $1,470 | -13.2% |
| 53590 | Sun Prairie | $1,710 | +0.9% |
| 53593 | Verona | $1,910 | +12.8% |
| 53596 | Sun Prairie | $1,694County rate | — |
| 53597 | Waunakee | $1,670 | -1.4% |
| 53598 | Windsor | $1,870 | +10.4% |
| 53701 | Madison | $1,690 | -0.2% |
| 53702 | Madison | $1,694County rate | — |
| 53703 | Madison | $2,020 | +19.2% |
| 53704 | Madison | $1,610 | -5.0% |
| 53705 | Madison | $1,720 | +1.5% |
| 53706 | Madison | $1,940 | +14.5% |
| 53707 | Madison | $1,690 | -0.2% |
| 53708 | Madison | $1,690 | -0.2% |
| 53711 | Madison | $1,620 | -4.4% |
| 53713 | Madison | $1,500 | -11.5% |
| 53714 | Madison | $1,550 | -8.5% |
| 53715 | Madison | $2,100 | +24.0% |
| 53716 | Madison | $1,640 | -3.2% |
| 53717 | Madison | $1,780 | +5.1% |
| 53718 | Madison | $1,990 | +17.5% |
| 53719 | Madison | $1,890 | +11.6% |
| 53725 | Madison | $1,690 | -0.2% |
| 53726 | Madison | $1,880 | +11.0% |
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 Dane somewhere between $1,525 and $1,863. 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.
$1,694 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $67,760 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% ($1,525) | HAP at 100% ($1,694) | HAP at 110% ($1,863) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $775 | $944 | $1,113 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $325 | $494 | $663 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 15% from FY 2025 ($1,472) to FY 2026 ($1,694). Since FY 2020 it's up 43% in total, about 6.1% a year. The Wisconsin median moved up 1% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $861 | $1,015 | $1,186 | $1,635 | $1,972 | — |
| FY 2021 | $889 | $1,039 | $1,211 | $1,641 | $1,965 | +2.1% |
| FY 2022 | $929 | $1,076 | $1,254 | $1,676 | $1,948 | +3.6% |
| FY 2023 | $1,007 | $1,183 | $1,378 | $1,810 | $2,041 | +9.9% |
| FY 2024 | $1,004 | $1,182 | $1,372 | $1,808 | $1,986 | -0.4% |
| FY 2025 | $1,080 | $1,282 | $1,472 | $1,935 | $2,161 | +7.3% |
| FY 2026 | $1,268 | $1,482 | $1,694 | $2,236 | $2,509 | +15.1% |
| FY 2027 | $1,196 | $1,375 | $1,565 | $2,047 | $2,264 | -7.6% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,694 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,268 for a studio, $1,482 for one bedroom, $2,236 for three and $2,509 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 Dane actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Dane for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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