Fair market rents · FY 2027 · effective October 1, 2026
District of Columbia fair market rents, FY 2027
HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in District of Columbia is $2,438 a month, +8.5% from FY 2026 and +36.6% over five years. The whole district is one HUD rent area, and it is a mandatory Small Area FMR area, so vouchers here use ZIP-level figures.
FMRs are HUD's estimate of the 40th percentile gross rent (rent plus utilities) paid by recent movers into standard-quality units. Housing agencies set voucher payment standards from them. Source: HUD FY 2027 FMR file, 91 FR 56156 (published September 1, 2026). This site is not HUD.
| FY | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2BR | $1,746 | $1,793 | $1,665 | $1,707 | $1,765 | $1,785 | $1,838 | $2,045 | $2,314 | $2,246 | $2,438 |
ZIP-level rents required: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD is a mandatory Small Area FMR metro, so voucher payment standards there come from the ZIP figure, not the area figure below. Use the ZIP lookup, or see all 65 mandatory metros.
Every HUD rent area in District of Columbia, FY 2027
1 HUD FMR area covers 1 district; 1 is a metro area. Monthly gross rent by bedroom count. The trend line is the 2-bedroom FMR from FY 2017 to FY 2027.
| HUD area | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 1 yr | 5 yr | FY17 to FY27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MDZ | 2,111 | 2,204 | 2,438 | 3,107 | 3,658 | +8.5% | +36.6% |
Dollars per month, FY 2027 file as published September 1, 2026; rows marked R show FY 2026. "1 yr" compares the FY 2027 2BR with FY 2026, "5 yr" with FY 2022. HUD's methods changed over these years, so part of any move is method, not market. Area names are HUD's.
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We'll write once when HUD publishes FY 2028 Fair Market Rents, or revised FY 2027 figures, for your ZIP's HUD area in District of Columbia. HUD's FY 2028 starts October 1, 2027.
Using these numbers on a rental
The FMR sets the range for voucher payments; it is not a rent estimate for your unit. A housing agency picks a payment standard between 90% and 110% of it, then checks your asking rent against similar unassisted units nearby. Both figures cover rent plus utilities, so the agency's allowance for any utilities the tenant pays comes off the top.
Take a 2-bedroom at $2,438, a payment standard at 100% of FMR, and a $150 utility allowance (an example; each agency publishes its own schedule). Then the voucher can cover a contract rent of up to $2,288 ($2,438 minus $150), with the tenant paying the usual 30% of income. How to underwrite with FMR works through the rest.