Section 8 Rent Calculator
Your share of rent under the HUD 30% rule. Every figure is computed from published government data and cited on the page.
U.S. highlighted. Same data as the table below, shown as a distribution so the comparison is visible at a glance.
Median $1,504.
All 50 states
States marked = XX share a page with another state because their rules produce the same answer.
| State | Fair Market Rent (2BR) | Fair Market Rent (1BR) | Fair Market Rent (3BR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,087 | $931 | $1,407 |
| Alaska | $1,591 | $1,231 | $2,087 |
| Arizona | $1,709 | $1,439 | $2,334 |
| Arkansas= AL | $1,083 | $889 | $1,437 |
| California | $2,745 | $2,237 | $3,703 |
| Colorado | $1,895 | $1,585 | $2,583 |
| Connecticut | $2,027 | $1,646 | $2,639 |
| Delaware= AZ | $1,675 | $1,374 | $2,125 |
| Florida | $1,973 | $1,662 | $2,581 |
| Georgia | $1,551 | $1,387 | $2,021 |
| Hawaii | $2,568 | $1,961 | $3,437 |
| Idaho= AL | $1,410 | $1,160 | $1,907 |
| Illinois= AK | $1,579 | $1,369 | $2,037 |
| Indiana= AL | $1,255 | $1,044 | $1,615 |
| Iowa= AL | $1,112 | $902 | $1,457 |
| Kansas= AL | $1,129 | $925 | $1,499 |
| Kentucky= AL | $1,125 | $919 | $1,465 |
| Louisiana= AL | $1,138 | $954 | $1,485 |
| Maine= AZ | $1,681 | $1,323 | $2,191 |
| Maryland= FL | $1,955 | $1,668 | $2,548 |
| Massachusetts= HI | $2,527 | $2,074 | $3,276 |
| Michigan= AL | $1,327 | $1,070 | $1,717 |
| Minnesota | $1,504 | $1,264 | $1,958 |
| Mississippi= AL | $1,041 | $885 | $1,354 |
| Missouri= AL | $1,154 | $956 | $1,510 |
| Montana= AK | $1,558 | $1,240 | $2,093 |
| Nebraska= AL | $1,200 | $984 | $1,575 |
| Nevada= AZ | $1,733 | $1,453 | $2,309 |
| New Hampshire= CT | $2,040 | $1,569 | $2,642 |
| New Jersey | $2,282 | $1,918 | $2,942 |
| New Mexico= AL | $1,308 | $1,078 | $1,726 |
| New York= HI | $2,520 | $2,253 | $3,258 |
| North Carolina= AL | $1,410 | $1,244 | $1,833 |
| North Dakota= AL | $1,088 | $903 | $1,430 |
| Ohio= AL | $1,238 | $996 | $1,609 |
| Oklahoma= AL | $1,136 | $916 | $1,489 |
| Oregon= AZ | $1,738 | $1,445 | $2,301 |
| Pennsylvania= MN | $1,501 | $1,239 | $1,939 |
| Rhode Island | $1,765 | $1,424 | $2,283 |
| South Carolina= AL | $1,352 | $1,198 | $1,753 |
| South Dakota= AL | $1,094 | $884 | $1,437 |
| Tennessee | $1,363 | $1,183 | $1,774 |
| Texas= AK | $1,557 | $1,308 | $2,052 |
| Utah= AK | $1,582 | $1,308 | $2,101 |
| Vermont= AZ | $1,684 | $1,331 | $2,189 |
| Virginia= AZ | $1,735 | $1,533 | $2,265 |
| Washington= CT | $2,072 | $1,733 | $2,763 |
| West Virginia | $1,000 | $810 | $1,309 |
| Wisconsin= AL | $1,287 | $1,055 | $1,669 |
| Wyoming= AL | $1,079 | $856 | $1,419 |
How much does your state actually matter?
On fair market rent (2br), the gap between the highest and lowest state is $2,745 (California) versus $1,000 (West Virginia) — a 2.7x spread. The median state sits at $1,504, and the middle half of states falls between $1,154 and $1,738.
That spread is the reason this site publishes per-state answers instead of one national average: an average of $1,504 describes 6 of 50 states well and materially misstates the rest.
Highest five
- California$2,745
- Hawaii$2,568
- Massachusetts$2,527
- New York$2,520
- New Jersey$2,282
Lowest five
- West Virginia$1,000
- Mississippi$1,041
- Wyoming$1,079
- Arkansas$1,083
- Alabama$1,087
How the payment standard works across the U.S.
HUD sets Fair Market Rent for U.S. at $1,551 for a two-bedroom unit. The housing authority sets its payment standard somewhere between 90% and 110% of that, and your share is generally 30% of adjusted monthly income — a federal rule identical in every state. What varies by location is the standard, not the percentage.
Median market rent in U.S. is $1,551. The FMR is at or above the market median here, so a voucher generally reaches typical units.
Why this site is built the way it is
HUD Fair Market Rent is set per METRO/COUNTY, not per state, so the payment standard that drives the tenant share genuinely varies below state level. The tenant-share calculation itself (30% of adjusted monthly income vs the payment standard) is federal, so the site is organized by FMR area rather than by state — matching the real shape of the data.
Most calculator sites publish one page per state that repeats the same text with the name swapped. This one publishes a page only where the answer actually changes: 14 pages cover all 50 states, because 36 states produce an answer identical to another state's. The build measures every page against its siblings and fails if any two converge, so that property is enforced rather than intended.
Calculations run entirely in your browser — nothing you type is transmitted or stored. See methodology for the formulas and sources for provenance and vintages.
Last reviewed 2026-08-26.