U.S. · Housing FY2027
California fair market rent FY2027.
HUD fair market rents by bedroom count for every California county, effective October 1, 2026.
HUD's FY2027 fair market rent for a two-bedroom unit in California ranges from $1,084 a month in Modoc County to $4,254 in Santa Cruz County, with a median county at $1,765. Los Angeles County is $2,964 and San Francisco County $3,697. FY2027 rents take effect October 1, 2026.
Find a county
Searches the table below.
What fair market rent is
A fair market rent (FMR) is HUD's estimate of the 40th percentile gross rent, meaning rent plus utilities, paid by recent movers into standard-quality units in each area. In the Housing Choice Voucher program, the FMR is the basis for the payment standard that sets the maximum monthly subsidy for an assisted family. It is a program benchmark, not a listing price: a market-rate apartment can rent for more or less than the FMR.
The FY2027 FMRs were published in the Federal Register on September 1, 2026 and take effect on October 1, 2026, unless HUD receives a valid request for reevaluation of a specific area's FMRs.
Highest and lowest two-bedroom rents
| Highest two-bedroom FMR | FY2027 | Lowest two-bedroom FMR | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County | $4,254 | Modoc County | $1,084 |
| Marin County | $3,697 | Trinity County | $1,153 |
| San Francisco County | $3,697 | Lassen County | $1,248 |
| San Mateo County | $3,697 | Siskiyou County | $1,254 |
| Napa County | $3,375 | Colusa County | $1,344 |
Of the 58 counties, 30 have a higher two-bedroom FMR than in FY2026 and 28 have a lower one. Median county: $1,765.
Worked example
A two-bedroom in Los Angeles County. The FY2027 FMR for Los Angeles County (HUD area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area) is $2,964 a month, or $35,568 a year. FY2026 was $2,903, a change of +2.1%. Against the 2020–2024 ACS median household income of $90,112 for the county, a year of that rent is 39% of the median. This is simple arithmetic on two published figures, not a measure of any household's rent burden.
All 58 California counties
Search by county name or HUD area. Rents are dollars per month for FY2027 (October 2026 to September 2027). The last two columns use the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year median household income.
| County | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2 BR change from FY2026 | 2 BR over a year | 2 BR rent for a year as a share of county median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | $2,088 | $2,290 | $2,805 | $3,592 | $4,250 | -3.7% | $33,660 | 26% of $129,367 |
| Alpine County | $1,063 | $1,167 | $1,526 | $2,113 | $2,522 | -0.2% | $18,312 | 17% of $105,521 |
| Amador County | $1,373 | $1,381 | $1,765 | $2,219 | $2,568 | +3.9% | $21,180 | 24% of $88,044 |
| Butte County | $1,064 | $1,190 | $1,509 | $2,090 | $2,522 | -7.1% | $18,108 | 27% of $67,928 |
| Calaveras County | $1,109 | $1,172 | $1,533 | $2,123 | $2,224 | -0.6% | $18,396 | 23% of $78,647 |
| Colusa County | $1,073 | $1,080 | $1,344 | $1,861 | $2,221 | +2.9% | $16,128 | 21% of $75,672 |
| Contra Costa County | $2,088 | $2,290 | $2,805 | $3,592 | $4,250 | -3.7% | $33,660 | 26% of $127,229 |
| Del Norte County | $979 | $1,292 | $1,406 | $1,947 | $2,322 | +2.6% | $16,872 | 25% of $67,058 |
| El Dorado County | $1,742 | $1,793 | $2,201 | $2,887 | $3,329 | -2.4% | $26,412 | 24% of $108,845 |
| Fresno County | $1,354 | $1,363 | $1,685 | $2,333 | $2,671 | +1.3% | $20,220 | 27% of $74,201 |
| Glenn County | $948 | $1,040 | $1,361 | $1,867 | $2,251 | -0.1% | $16,332 | 24% of $67,139 |
| Humboldt County | $1,122 | $1,188 | $1,554 | $2,152 | $2,597 | +0.3% | $18,648 | 30% of $61,160 |
| Imperial County | $938 | $1,030 | $1,347 | $1,819 | $2,251 | -1.1% | $16,164 | 28% of $57,681 |
| Inyo County | $1,020 | $1,346 | $1,465 | $1,996 | $2,449 | -3.2% | $17,580 | 24% of $73,991 |
| Kern County | $1,265 | $1,273 | $1,656 | $2,293 | $2,768 | +11.7% | $19,872 | 28% of $70,210 |
| Kings County | $1,175 | $1,183 | $1,512 | $2,094 | $2,467 | +2.9% | $18,144 | 26% of $70,995 |
| Lake County | $1,233 | $1,235 | $1,616 | $2,238 | $2,701 | +4.3% | $19,392 | 32% of $60,621 |
| Lassen County | $884 | $1,046 | $1,248 | $1,728 | $2,086 | -2.4% | $14,976 | 22% of $67,403 |
| Los Angeles County | $2,151 | $2,402 | $2,964 | $3,760 | $4,208 | +2.1% | $35,568 | 39% of $90,112 |
| Madera County | $1,264 | $1,272 | $1,460 | $2,022 | $2,440 | +6.1% | $17,520 | 23% of $76,627 |
| Marin County | $2,574 | $3,003 | $3,697 | $4,832 | $5,439 | +2.6% | $44,364 | 30% of $149,091 |
| Mariposa County | $1,035 | $1,147 | $1,486 | $2,058 | $2,196 | +2.2% | $17,832 | 26% of $68,412 |
| Mendocino County | $1,209 | $1,287 | $1,683 | $2,330 | $2,610 | -1.8% | $20,196 | 30% of $68,092 |
| Merced County | $1,200 | $1,262 | $1,517 | $2,087 | $2,477 | +0.9% | $18,204 | 28% of $65,510 |
| Modoc County | $755 | $856 | $1,084 | $1,501 | $1,792 | -2.2% | $13,008 | 22% of $59,455 |
| Mono County | $1,342 | $1,550 | $1,927 | $2,374 | $3,185 | +15.0% | $23,124 | 23% of $99,415 |
| Monterey County | $1,956 | $2,009 | $2,416 | $3,261 | $3,551 | -10.0% | $28,992 | 30% of $97,230 |
| Napa County | $2,350 | $2,580 | $3,375 | $4,201 | $5,094 | +1.8% | $40,500 | 36% of $111,471 |
| Nevada County | $1,313 | $1,441 | $1,885 | $2,610 | $3,151 | +4.0% | $22,620 | 25% of $89,882 |
| Orange County | $2,580 | $2,610 | $3,057 | $4,153 | $4,964 | -5.5% | $36,684 | 32% of $116,289 |
| Placer County | $1,742 | $1,793 | $2,201 | $2,887 | $3,329 | -2.4% | $26,412 | 23% of $115,998 |
| Plumas County | $990 | $1,087 | $1,422 | $1,883 | $1,966 | +0.8% | $17,064 | 26% of $66,031 |
| Riverside County | $1,605 | $1,705 | $2,103 | $2,771 | $3,336 | -4.5% | $25,236 | 27% of $93,074 |
| Sacramento County | $1,742 | $1,793 | $2,201 | $2,887 | $3,329 | -2.4% | $26,412 | 29% of $92,175 |
| San Benito County | $2,279 | $2,296 | $3,004 | $4,160 | $4,555 | +3.5% | $36,048 | 32% of $114,394 |
| San Bernardino County | $1,605 | $1,705 | $2,103 | $2,771 | $3,336 | -4.5% | $25,236 | 30% of $85,478 |
| San Diego County | $2,192 | $2,335 | $2,823 | $3,743 | $4,526 | -5.9% | $33,876 | 32% of $106,268 |
| San Francisco County | $2,574 | $3,003 | $3,697 | $4,832 | $5,439 | +2.6% | $44,364 | 31% of $140,970 |
| San Joaquin County | $1,525 | $1,628 | $2,015 | $2,790 | $3,368 | +15.7% | $24,180 | 26% of $92,179 |
| San Luis Obispo County | $1,894 | $2,079 | $2,720 | $3,634 | $4,208 | +1.8% | $32,640 | 33% of $97,446 |
| San Mateo County | $2,574 | $3,003 | $3,697 | $4,832 | $5,439 | +2.6% | $44,364 | 28% of $158,855 |
| Santa Barbara County | $2,479 | $2,711 | $3,106 | $3,990 | $4,557 | -0.6% | $37,272 | 38% of $98,161 |
| Santa Clara County | $2,458 | $2,778 | $3,272 | $4,396 | $4,688 | -6.1% | $39,264 | 24% of $164,281 |
| Santa Cruz County | $3,230 | $3,390 | $4,254 | $5,531 | $5,748 | +0.9% | $51,048 | 46% of $111,093 |
| Shasta County | $1,201 | $1,209 | $1,581 | $2,189 | $2,643 | -0.6% | $18,972 | 26% of $72,636 |
| Sierra County | $1,063 | $1,167 | $1,526 | $2,113 | $2,522 | -0.2% | $18,312 | 29% of $63,355 |
| Siskiyou County | $953 | $959 | $1,254 | $1,736 | $1,984 | +0.4% | $15,048 | 25% of $59,095 |
| Solano County | $1,706 | $1,876 | $2,342 | $3,053 | $3,483 | +7.5% | $28,104 | 28% of $100,401 |
| Sonoma County | $1,980 | $2,155 | $2,819 | $3,903 | $4,295 | -0.3% | $33,828 | 32% of $104,674 |
| Stanislaus County | $1,276 | $1,378 | $1,803 | $2,410 | $2,827 | +2.6% | $21,636 | 27% of $81,468 |
| Sutter County | $1,159 | $1,367 | $1,600 | $2,216 | $2,674 | +3.2% | $19,200 | 24% of $79,704 |
| Tehama County | $948 | $1,040 | $1,361 | $1,885 | $2,275 | -0.1% | $16,332 | 26% of $63,784 |
| Trinity County | $803 | $881 | $1,153 | $1,510 | $1,515 | -4.1% | $13,836 | 26% of $53,002 |
| Tulare County | $1,101 | $1,108 | $1,450 | $1,995 | $2,338 | -1.6% | $17,400 | 24% of $71,300 |
| Tuolumne County | $1,116 | $1,271 | $1,603 | $2,082 | $2,679 | +0.9% | $19,236 | 25% of $77,404 |
| Ventura County | $1,827 | $2,035 | $2,424 | $3,287 | $3,816 | -10.0% | $29,088 | 26% of $109,797 |
| Yolo County | $1,659 | $1,670 | $2,135 | $2,956 | $3,095 | +1.5% | $25,620 | 28% of $91,752 |
| Yuba County | $1,159 | $1,367 | $1,600 | $2,216 | $2,674 | +3.2% | $19,200 | 25% of $76,373 |
Using the table
FMRs are set for each HUD area, and several counties can share an area, so neighboring counties may show the same figures. Housing agencies set their own payment standards from the FMR, so what a voucher actually pays can differ. For rents by ZIP code, see HUD's small area FMRs on the SAFMR guide and the ZIP code lookup.
Sources
Primary sources opened and checked on November 2, 2026. Figures are as published by the source on that date.
- HUD User, Fair Market Rents (FY2027 county-level data, XLSX) (read November 2, 2026)
- HUD User, FY2026 revised county-level data (XLSX) (read November 2, 2026)
- HUD User, Fair Market Rents data page (read November 2, 2026)
- Federal Register, Fair Market Rents ... Fiscal Year 2027 (91 FR 56156, September 1, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
- Census Bureau, ACS 5-year table B19013, 2020-2024 (summary file) (read November 2, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the fair market rent for a two-bedroom in California?
It runs from $1,084 in Modoc County to $4,254 in Santa Cruz County for FY2027, depending on the county.
When do the FY2027 fair market rents take effect?
October 1, 2026, unless HUD receives a valid request for reevaluation of an area's FMRs, per the Federal Register notice.
Is fair market rent what a landlord charges?
No. It is HUD's estimate of the 40th percentile gross rent (rent plus utilities) for standard-quality units in the area, used for housing assistance programs.
Does the FMR include utilities?
Yes. HUD describes the FMR as the gross rent, which is shelter rent plus utilities.
Where do I find rents by ZIP code?
HUD also publishes small area fair market rents by ZIP code for metropolitan areas that use them; see the ZIP code lookup linked above.
Reference data, not housing advice
Figures are copied from the HUD FY2027 FMR file linked above. FMRs are program benchmarks, not market listings or a guarantee of what a voucher pays. Contact your local housing agency for the payment standard that applies to you.