Lackawanna County, PA: Fair Market Rent 2027 and Income Limits

Official HUD figures for landlords and renters, effective October 1, 2026 (rents) and May 1, 2026 (income limits).

$1,3632-bedroom FMR, FY2027

$1,1061-bedroom FMR, FY2027

$73,60080% income limit, family of 4 (FY2026)

$92,400Median family income (FY2026)

The FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit in Lackawanna County is $1,363 a month, up 8.9% from $1,252 in FY2026. Lackawanna County belongs to the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA FMR area, so the same figures apply across that area. FMRs are gross rents: rent plus all tenant-paid utilities except phone, cable and internet.

Fair market rent in Lackawanna County by bedroom count

Unit size	FY2027 FMR	FY2026 FMR	Change	Payment standard range (90–110%)
Studio	$949	$863	+10.0%	$855 – $1,043
1 bedroom	$1,106	$1,028	+7.6%	$996 – $1,216
2 bedrooms	$1,363	$1,252	+8.9%	$1,227 – $1,499
3 bedrooms	$1,786	$1,631	+9.5%	$1,608 – $1,964
4 bedrooms	$1,962	$1,766	+11.1%	$1,766 – $2,158

Source: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026) and FY2026 (revised file), details.

What can a landlord charge a Section 8 tenant here?

The FMR is not a cap on what you can ask on the open market. For a Housing Choice Voucher tenant, the local housing authority sets a payment standard, normally between 90% and 110% of the FMR (or of the ZIP-level Small Area FMR where those apply). For a two-bedroom unit in Lackawanna County that is typically $1,227 to $1,499 including utilities. You can charge more than the payment standard if the rent passes the housing authority's rent-reasonableness test and, at move-in, the tenant's share stays within 40% of their adjusted monthly income. Ask the housing authority for its current payment standard schedule.

Can local renters afford the fair market rent?

$39,028median income of renter households

$1,007Median gross rent, all units

31%Rent-to-income ratio (median rent ÷ median renter income)

48%of renter households pay 30% or more of income on rent

At the 30% rule, a renter household earning the local median of $39,028 can afford about $976 a month including utilities. The FY2027 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,363 is $387 (39.7%) more than that. To rent a two-bedroom at the FMR, a household needs $54,520 a year under the 30% rule, or $49,068 under the common landlord rule that income must be three times the rent.

Lackawanna County, ACS 2020–2024	Estimate ± MOE
Median gross rent (rent + utilities)	$1,007 ±$25
Median income of renter households	$39,028 ±$2,160
Renters paying 30% or more of income (cost-burdened)	48.4% ±2.3
Renters paying 50% or more (severely cost-burdened)	25.3% ±1.7
Renter households (where the share can be computed)	27,986

Change since 2015–2019

	ACS 2015–2019	ACS 2020–2024	Change
Median gross rent	$792	$1,007	+27.1%
Median renter household income	$31,304	$39,028	+24.7%
Renters paying 30%+ of income	45.0%	48.4%	+3.4 pts

Rent-to-income calculator: does an applicant qualify? → · Most affordable counties to rent in this state →

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 2020–2024 and 2015–2019 (tables B25064, B25119, B25070). ± = margin of error at 90% confidence. Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation.

Small Area FMRs by ZIP code (FY2027)

In metro areas HUD also publishes ZIP-level Small Area Fair Market Rents. Housing authorities in designated areas must use them for voucher payment standards; others may opt in. Here the two-bedroom SAFMR ranges from $1,130 to $1,890 depending on the ZIP code.

All 97 ZIP codes in this FMR area

ZIP	0 BR	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR
17814	$830	$960	$1,180	$1,470	$1,660
17815	$860	$990	$1,240	$1,690	$1,860
17878	$810	$940	$1,160	$1,470	$1,630
18201	$1,020	$1,210	$1,480	$1,880	$2,030
18202	$1,020	$1,180	$1,460	$1,920	$2,100
18216	$1,150	$1,340	$1,630	$2,050	$2,210
18219	$860	$1,000	$1,230	$1,610	$1,770
18221	$980	$1,140	$1,410	$1,840	$2,020
18222	$1,320	$1,530	$1,890	$2,480	$2,720
18223	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18224	$1,020	$1,210	$1,480	$1,880	$2,010
18225	$1,020	$1,180	$1,460	$1,920	$2,100
18234	$1,020	$1,180	$1,460	$1,920	$2,100
18239	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18241	$800	$930	$1,140	$1,490	$1,600
18246	$880	$1,020	$1,270	$1,610	$1,770
18249	$1,190	$1,390	$1,710	$2,240	$2,460
18255	$1,020	$1,210	$1,480	$1,880	$1,980
18256	$980	$1,130	$1,400	$1,840	$2,010
18403	$880	$1,020	$1,260	$1,650	$1,810
18407	$860	$990	$1,230	$1,610	$1,760
18410	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18411	$1,170	$1,360	$1,680	$2,200	$2,420
18414	$1,160	$1,350	$1,660	$2,170	$2,390
18419	$900	$1,040	$1,290	$1,690	$1,850
18420	$990	$1,140	$1,410	$1,840	$2,020
18421	$780	$930	$1,130	$1,470	$1,710
18424	$980	$1,110	$1,380	$1,780	$2,040
18433	$910	$1,060	$1,310	$1,720	$1,890
18434	$930	$1,080	$1,330	$1,740	$1,910
18436	$970	$1,120	$1,330	$1,710	$2,140
18440	$900	$1,040	$1,290	$1,690	$1,850
18444	$920	$1,070	$1,310	$1,720	$1,930
18446	$820	$930	$1,150	$1,500	$1,620
18447	$960	$1,120	$1,380	$1,810	$1,990
18452	$940	$1,100	$1,350	$1,770	$1,940
18471	$1,160	$1,350	$1,670	$2,180	$2,400
18472	$920	$1,060	$1,250	$1,590	$2,090
18501	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18503	$1,070	$1,240	$1,530	$2,000	$2,200
18504	$950	$1,100	$1,360	$1,780	$1,960
18505	$930	$1,090	$1,340	$1,760	$1,930
18507	$1,090	$1,270	$1,570	$2,060	$2,260
18508	$1,000	$1,170	$1,440	$1,890	$2,070
18509	$960	$1,120	$1,380	$1,810	$1,990
18510	$1,020	$1,180	$1,460	$1,910	$2,100
18512	$880	$1,020	$1,260	$1,650	$1,810
18515	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18517	$1,090	$1,270	$1,570	$2,060	$2,260
18518	$860	$1,010	$1,240	$1,620	$1,780
18519	$900	$1,050	$1,290	$1,690	$1,860
18540	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18577	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18602	$1,170	$1,390	$1,700	$2,210	$2,390
18603	$780	$930	$1,130	$1,470	$1,590
18610	$1,170	$1,240	$1,510	$2,020	$2,370
18612	$1,080	$1,260	$1,550	$2,030	$2,230
18614	$780	$930	$1,130	$1,470	$1,710
18615	$820	$960	$1,180	$1,550	$1,700
18617	$810	$940	$1,160	$1,520	$1,670
18618	$1,280	$1,490	$1,840	$2,410	$2,650
18621	$1,110	$1,290	$1,590	$2,080	$2,290
18622	$870	$1,010	$1,250	$1,600	$1,780
18623	$860	$940	$1,190	$1,520	$1,680
18625	$900	$1,040	$1,290	$1,690	$1,850
18627	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18629	$1,040	$1,210	$1,490	$1,950	$2,140
18630	$860	$960	$1,200	$1,580	$1,700
18634	$860	$1,000	$1,230	$1,610	$1,770
18635	$830	$970	$1,190	$1,530	$1,700
18636	$860	$1,010	$1,240	$1,620	$1,780
18640	$980	$1,140	$1,410	$1,850	$2,030
18641	$880	$1,020	$1,260	$1,650	$1,810
18642	$1,030	$1,200	$1,480	$1,940	$2,130
18643	$930	$1,090	$1,340	$1,760	$1,930
18644	$890	$1,040	$1,280	$1,680	$1,840
18651	$880	$1,020	$1,260	$1,650	$1,810
18655	$890	$1,040	$1,280	$1,680	$1,840
18656	$860	$1,010	$1,240	$1,620	$1,780
18657	$880	$1,020	$1,260	$1,650	$1,810
18660	$930	$1,080	$1,330	$1,740	$1,910
18661	$1,190	$1,390	$1,700	$2,220	$2,430
18701	$780	$930	$1,130	$1,470	$1,610
18702	$950	$1,100	$1,360	$1,780	$1,960
18703	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18704	$990	$1,150	$1,420	$1,860	$2,040
18705	$950	$1,100	$1,360	$1,780	$1,960
18706	$930	$1,080	$1,330	$1,740	$1,910
18707	$810	$940	$1,160	$1,520	$1,670
18708	$1,030	$1,200	$1,480	$1,940	$2,130
18709	$800	$930	$1,150	$1,510	$1,660
18710	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18711	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18764	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18765	$950	$1,110	$1,370	$1,790	$1,970
18844	$860	$930	$1,170	$1,520	$1,600
18846	$860	$930	$1,140	$1,470	$1,630

Source: HUD FY2027 Small Area FMRs (effective October 1, 2026).

HUD income limits for Lackawanna County (FY2026)

Income limits decide who qualifies for Section 8 vouchers, public housing and most HUD-assisted units. The area median family income is $92,400 (FY2025: $83,500, +10.7%). Small figures under each limit show the change from FY2025.

Household size	1 person	2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people	7 people	8 people
Extremely low income (30%)	$19,350 +9.9%	$22,100 +4.5%	$27,320 +2.5%	$33,000 +2.6%	$38,680 +2.7%	$44,360 +2.8%	$50,040 +2.9%	$55,720 +2.9%
Very low income (50%)	$32,200 +9.9%	$36,800 +9.9%	$41,400 +9.8%	$46,000 +9.9%	$49,700 +10.0%	$53,400 +10.0%	$57,050 +9.9%	$60,750 +10.0%
Low income (80%)	$51,550 +9.9%	$58,900 +9.9%	$66,250 +9.9%	$73,600 +9.9%	$79,500 +9.9%	$85,400 +9.9%	$91,300 +9.9%	$97,200 +10.0%

The 30% limit is HUD's “extremely low income” limit: the higher of 30% of median income or the federal poverty guideline, but never above the 50% limit. That is why it can rise faster than 30% of median for larger households. Tax-credit (LIHTC) properties use separate Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project limits.

Source: HUD Section 8 Income Limits FY2026 (effective May 1, 2026) and FY2025, details.