Rent Limits / 1 Bedroom voucher amount

How Much Does Section 8 Pay for a 1-Bedroom? (2026–27)

Median ZIP

$1,040

8 in 10 ZIPs

$780–$2,010

Full range

$680–$4,190

There is no single national 1-bedroom voucher amount. Your housing authority sets a payment standard for each unit size, normally between 90% and 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for your area (24 CFR 982.503). HUD's FY2027 figures, effective October 1, 2026, put a 1-bedroom at $1,040 a month in the median ZIP code, and between $780 and $2,010 in 8 of every 10 ZIP codes. By state, the median ZIP runs from $770 in Arkansas to $2,170 in District of Columbia.

The voucher does not pay that whole amount. The housing authority pays the payment standard, or the gross rent if that is lower, minus your total tenant payment, which is usually 30% of your adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 982.505). Gross rent means rent plus any utilities you pay yourself, counted through the utility allowance.

For example, take a 1-bedroom at the median $1,040 and a household with $2,000 of adjusted monthly income. The household's share is $600, and the voucher covers up to $440. If the gross rent is above the payment standard, the household pays the difference too, but at the first lease-up its total share cannot be more than 40% of adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 982.508).

Look up the 1-bedroom figure for your ZIP code

1 Bedroom voucher amounts in 30 large cities

HUD FY2027 1-bedroom figure across each city's ZIP codes ("New York" is the Manhattan postal city). Highest first.

City	Median ZIP	Lowest–highest ZIP	ZIPs
New York, NY	$3,380	$2,390–$4,100	127
Boston, MA	$3,030	$2,430–$3,770	25
San Francisco, CA	$2,880	$2,680–$4,010	38
Brooklyn, NY	$2,730	$2,390–$4,100	45
Bronx, NY	$2,430	$2,390–$2,940	25
Los Angeles, CA	$2,400	$1,500–$3,610	89
San Diego, CA	$2,330	$1,850–$3,500	70
Seattle, WA	$2,220	$1,760–$3,100	53
Washington, DC	$2,170	$1,480–$3,310	105
Miami, FL	$2,120	$1,660–$3,190	86
Denver, CO	$1,820	$1,580–$2,580	51
Sacramento, CA	$1,770	$1,420–$2,200	37
Chicago, IL	$1,750	$1,330–$2,670	76
Charlotte, NC	$1,740	$1,380–$2,460	59
Nashville, TN	$1,710	$1,380–$2,350	31
Atlanta, GA	$1,700	$1,100–$2,430	76
Austin, TX	$1,560	$1,410–$2,300	66
Phoenix, AZ	$1,500	$1,170–$2,240	67
Philadelphia, PA	$1,490	$1,130–$2,340	58
Fort Worth, TX	$1,490	$1,150–$2,170	43
Dallas, TX	$1,460	$960–$2,300	77
Las Vegas, NV	$1,440	$1,340–$2,150	71
Jacksonville, FL	$1,390	$960–$2,130	44
Baltimore, MD	$1,390	$1,360–$2,040	31
Columbus, OH	$1,310	$840–$1,970	35
Indianapolis, IN	$1,285	$1,140–$2,000	46
Houston, TX	$1,240	$860–$1,900	169
San Antonio, TX	$1,190	$850–$1,790	83
Detroit, MI	$1,080	$860–$1,740	31
Milwaukee, WI	$1,030	$1,010–$1,590	33

1 Bedroom voucher amounts by state

HUD FY2027 1-bedroom figure across each state's ZIP codes, highest median first.

State	Median ZIP	Lowest–highest ZIP	Highest ZIP
District of Columbia	$2,170	$1,480–$3,310	20003 Washington
California	$2,150	$830–$4,190	95060 Santa Cruz
Massachusetts	$1,955	$1,130–$3,770	01731 Hanscom Afb
Hawaii	$1,945	$1,450–$2,920	96825 Honolulu
New Jersey	$1,910	$970–$3,770	07030 Hoboken
Maryland	$1,650	$820–$3,310	20817 Bethesda
Florida	$1,600	$740–$3,190	33131 Miami
Rhode Island	$1,560	$1,270–$2,260	02817 West Greenwich
Connecticut	$1,557	$1,040–$3,110	06612 Easton
New Hampshire	$1,450	$900–$2,710	03033 Brookline
Colorado	$1,440	$780–$2,740	80125 Littleton
Washington	$1,390	$780–$3,270	98004 Bellevue
Delaware	$1,385	$960–$1,900	19701 Bear
Vermont	$1,360	$960–$2,090	05494 Westford
Nevada	$1,350	$860–$2,150	89004 Blue Diamond
Arizona	$1,260	$780–$2,240	85045 Phoenix
New York	$1,250	$780–$4,100	10001 New York
Oregon	$1,200	$780–$2,450	97089 Damascus
Alaska	$1,180	$820–$1,900	99685 Unalaska
Maine	$1,180	$860–$2,730	04050 Long Island
Virginia	$1,180	$720–$3,310	22060 Fort Belvoir
Utah	$1,140	$780–$2,510	84098 Park City
Montana	$1,120	$800–$2,090	59834 Frenchtown
North Carolina	$1,080	$770–$2,460	28075 Harrisburg
Georgia	$1,070	$766–$2,430	30309 Atlanta
South Carolina	$1,070	$680–$2,600	29429 Awendaw
Texas	$1,030	$770–$2,300	75072 Mckinney
Pennsylvania	$1,020	$780–$2,340	18923 Fountainville
Idaho	$990	$780–$1,750	83637 Lowman
Tennessee	$960	$760–$2,480	37135 Nolensville
Michigan	$950	$780–$2,050	49301 Ada
New Mexico	$930	$780–$1,670	87043 Placitas
Indiana	$920	$775–$2,000	46075 Whitestown
Wisconsin	$920	$780–$1,670	53715 Madison
Minnesota	$910	$775–$2,140	55047 Marine On Saint Croix
Louisiana	$890	$680–$1,840	70130 New Orleans
North Dakota	$890	$780–$1,550	58843 Epping
Ohio	$890	$770–$1,970	43215 Columbus
Alabama	$880	$700–$1,890	35213 Birmingham
Illinois	$880	$710–$2,670	60010 Barrington
Nebraska	$880	$780–$1,830	68118 Omaha
South Dakota	$880	$780–$1,390	57706 Ellsworth Afb
Wyoming	$865	$760–$1,390	82063 Jelm
Mississippi	$840	$690–$1,780	38672 Southaven
Missouri	$830	$700–$2,050	64157 Kansas City
Kansas	$820	$730–$2,050	66027 Fort Leavenworth
Kentucky	$810	$690–$1,690	40514 Lexington
West Virginia	$810	$720–$1,260	25882 Mullens
Iowa	$800	$710–$1,510	50323 Urbandale
Oklahoma	$790	$700–$1,560	73012 Edmond
Arkansas	$770	$690–$1,580	72718 Cave Springs
Puerto Rico (territory)	$550	$430–$910	00966 Guaynabo

Who is issued a 1-bedroom voucher

Your housing authority decides how many bedrooms your household is issued, using its own written subsidy standards. HUD requires those standards to give "the smallest number of bedrooms needed to house a family without overcrowding" and to treat families of the same size and makeup the same way (24 CFR 982.402(b)). Who shares a bedroom — by age, sex or relationship — is set in that policy, so check your authority's administrative plan. A single person's voucher is for a studio or a 1-bedroom, depending on the authority's standards, unless a live-in aide lives with them (24 CFR 982.402(b)(7)). The authority can make exceptions for age, disability or other personal circumstances.

You can rent a bigger or smaller unit than your voucher size. If the unit is bigger, the payment standard for your voucher size still applies; if it is smaller, the smaller unit's payment standard applies — the rule is the lower of the two (24 CFR 982.505(c)(1)). A smaller unit must still meet the space standards.

More: Section 8 occupancy standards · estimate your rent share

Figures: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents and Small Area Fair Market Rents, effective October 1, 2026, across 38,715 ZIP codes. National and state figures are the spread across ZIP codes, not weighted by population. These are HUD's figures, not any housing authority's payment standard. Source: HUD User FMR data. Rules: 24 CFR Part 982.

Voucher amounts nationwide by unit size: Studio · 1 Bedroom · 2 Bedroom · 3 Bedroom · 4 Bedroom

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will Section 8 pay for a 1-bedroom in 2026?

It depends on where you rent. HUD's FY2027 figures took effect on October 1, 2026; for a 1-bedroom they are $780–$2,010 a month in most ZIP codes, with a median of $1,040. Your housing authority's payment standard is normally 90–110% of the figure for your area, and the voucher pays that standard (or the gross rent, if lower) minus about 30% of your adjusted monthly income.

Can I rent a 2-bedroom unit with a 1-bedroom voucher?

Yes, if the housing authority approves the unit. The payment standard used is the lower of the one for your voucher size and the one for the unit you rent (24 CFR 982.505(c)(1)), so a bigger unit does not raise your subsidy. You pay the extra rent, and at first lease-up your total share cannot exceed 40% of adjusted monthly income.

Why is my housing authority's 1-bedroom amount different from HUD's figure?

HUD publishes Fair Market Rents; each housing authority then sets its own payment standards, normally 90–110% of those figures (24 CFR 982.503). Some authorities set different amounts by ZIP code, some get HUD approval for higher exception amounts, and Moving to Work agencies can set standards outside that range. Your voucher paperwork shows the amount that applies to you.

Does the 1-bedroom voucher amount include utilities?

Yes. The payment standard is compared with gross rent: the rent to the owner plus the housing authority's utility allowance for any utilities you pay yourself. A unit with tenant-paid heat or electricity therefore needs a lower contract rent to fit under the same payment standard.