Sources and methodology
Every figure on this site is copied from an official dataset without rounding or estimation. This page lists each dataset, its effective date and when we loaded it.
Datasets in use
| Dataset | Year | Effective | File dated | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Fair Market Rents (county / New England town) | FY2027 | October 1, 2026 | August 26, 2026 | FY27_FMRs.xlsx |
| HUD Fair Market Rents, previous year (revised) | FY2026 | October 1, 2025 | April 21, 2026 | FY26_FMRs_revised.xlsx |
| HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents (ZIP) | FY2027 | October 1, 2026 | August 31, 2026 | FY27_safmrs.xlsx |
| HUD Section 8 Income Limits | FY2026 | May 1, 2026 | April 16, 2026 | Section8-FY26.xlsx |
| HUD Section 8 Income Limits, previous year | FY2025 | April 1, 2025 | March 28, 2025 | Section8-FY25.xlsx |
| BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted) | monthly | latest: September 2026 | November 6, 2026 | bls.gov/cpi |
| Census ACS 5-Year: B25064 median gross rent, B25119 median income of renter households (B19013 as fallback), B25070 rent as share of income | 2020–2024 | released Dec. 2025 | November 5, 2026 | Table-Based Summary File |
| Census ACS 5-Year, comparison year | 2015–2019 | released Dec. 2020 | November 5, 2026 | 2019 Table-Based prototype |
HUD data loaded on November 5, 2026. The federal fiscal year starts October 1, so “FY2027” Fair Market Rents apply from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027.
How the pages are built
- County pages show HUD's FMR row for the county. In New England HUD defines FMR areas by town; we group towns with identical figures and show the most populous group in the summary.
- Change vs last year compares the FY2027 file with HUD's revised FY2026 file, row by row (same FIPS code). 5 counties have a new or changed area code and show no comparison.
- Payment standard range is 90% to 110% of the FMR, the “basic range” housing authorities may set without HUD approval (24 CFR 982.503). Actual payment standards are set by each housing authority.
- Rent increase caps follow the statute text; inflation figures come straight from the BLS series named in each law. Where a state agency publishes the official maximum, we show that figure and use it.
Census data: reliability rules
- Every ACS figure is shown with its margin of error (90% confidence). Values with a coefficient of variation above 30% are marked “low reliability”.
- Rent-burden shares = households paying 30%+ (or 50%+) of income ÷ renter households for which the share can be computed (B25070 lines 7–10 and 10 over line 1 minus line 11). Their margin of error uses the Census Bureau's formula for derived proportions. Shares are hidden when a county has fewer than 100 such households.
- Rankings of the “most affordable counties to rent” include only counties with at least 500 renter households where both median rent and median renter income have a coefficient of variation of 15% or less.
- The ACS 2020–2024 uses 2024 dollars, the 2015–2019 estimates 2019 dollars; changes are nominal. Connecticut's planning regions replaced its counties in 2022, so they have no 2015–2019 comparison.
Accuracy check
On November 5, 2026 we compared 6 counties against HUD's FMR and income limits documentation system on huduser.gov. Result: all values match.
| County | Checked | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | FMR FY2027 + FY2026 (0–4 BR), median income, 30/50/80% limits (1–8 persons): 54 values | match |
| Hood River County, OR (non-metro) | FMR FY2027 + FY2026 (0–4 BR), median income, 30/50/80% limits (1–8 persons): 54 values | match |
| Travis County, TX | FMR FY2027 + FY2026 (0–4 BR), median income, 30/50/80% limits (1–8 persons): 54 values | match |
| Maricopa County, AZ | FMR FY2027 + FY2026 (0–4 BR), median income, 30/50/80% limits (1–8 persons): 54 values | match |
| Los Angeles County, CA | FMR FY2027 + FY2026 (0–4 BR), median income, 30/50/80% limits (1–8 persons): 54 values | match |
| Phoenix metro ZIP codes (Small Area FMR) | 8 ZIP codes × 5 bedroom sizes | match |
On November 5, 2026 we compared 3 counties against data.census.gov (ACS 5-Year tables B25064, B25119, B25070). Result: all values match.
| County | Checked | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Hood River County, OR | ACS 2024 and 2019: median gross rent ±MOE, median renter income ±MOE, B25070 buckets → renters, 30%+ and 50%+ shares | match |
| Travis County, TX | ACS 2024 and 2019: median gross rent ±MOE, median renter income ±MOE, B25070 buckets → renters, 30%+ and 50%+ shares | match |
| Maricopa County, AZ | ACS 2024 and 2019: median gross rent ±MOE, median renter income ±MOE, B25070 buckets → renters, 30%+ and 50%+ shares | match |
Update schedule
- Fair Market Rents: HUD publishes in August/September for October 1. Revised files can follow during the year.
- Income limits: published each spring (April/May).
- CPI: monthly, checked a few days after each BLS release.
Spotted a mismatch with an official source? Tell us and we fix it within a day.