The Three FMR Areas
Same state, three different rent tables.
FY2026 Payment Data
For FY2026, the Fair Market Rent on a two-bedroom is $1,810 across Camden, Gloucester, Burlington, and Salem counties, $1,867 in Atlantic County, and $1,673 in Cumberland County. Those are the federal baselines. Your actual number depends on your housing authority, your ZIP code, and the comps around your unit. The full table and the math are below.
FY2026 Numbers
These are HUD's official FY2026 Fair Market Rents, effective October 1, 2025. The FMR is the federal baseline each housing authority builds its payment standard from. Two-bedroom highlighted because it is the most common voucher size we place.
| Counties (FMR area) | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden, Gloucester, Burlington, Salem counties Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA | $1,397 | $1,520 | $1,810 | $2,170 | $2,423 |
| Atlantic County Atlantic City-Hammonton HMFA | $1,346 | $1,537 | $1,867 | $2,586 | $2,851 |
| Cumberland County Vineland MSA | $1,280 | $1,375 | $1,673 | $2,303 | $2,311 |
Source: HUD FY2026 FMR Schedule. HUD publishes new figures every fall, and we update this page when they land.
The Three FMR Areas
From FMR To Your Rent Check
1. The payment standard. Each housing authority sets its payment standard between 90 and 110 percent of the FMR. Same county, different PHA, different ceiling.
2. Your ZIP code. Camden, Gloucester, Burlington, and Salem counties sit in the Philadelphia metro, where HUD requires Small Area FMRs: rent ceilings set ZIP by ZIP instead of one county-wide number. A unit in a stronger ZIP can carry a payment standard well above the metro figure in the table, and a weaker ZIP can come in under it. This is exactly why some South Jersey owners leave rent on the table without knowing it.
3. Rent reasonableness. The PHA compares your asking rent to similar unassisted units nearby. The payment standard is a ceiling, not an entitlement, and your rent has to hold up against the comps.
4. The split. The tenant generally pays around 30 percent of household income toward rent and the housing authority direct deposits the rest. Your contract rent is the two combined, so the voucher portion is usually 60 to 100 percent of the check.
Practical translation: do not price your unit off this table alone. Price it off the payment standard for your exact ZIP and bedroom count, checked against the comps. We run that lookup for owners every week, at no charge, because it is the first question that decides whether a voucher tenancy works for your property.
The Strategy Behind The Numbers
Mike Bonadies has laid out the affordable housing math on national podcasts: why voucher rents in South Jersey towns beat the spreadsheet returns on pricier markets, and where owners get it wrong.
South Jersey Real Estate Investing with TerraVestra Property Management
ListenTell us the address and bedroom count and we will pull the current payment standard for that ZIP, sanity check it against rent reasonableness comps, and tell you honestly whether Section 8 beats the conventional market for that property. We manage 850+ units across six South Jersey counties and own 130+ ourselves, so the answer comes from placements we ran this month, not a chart.
Common Questions
It caps the subsidy calculation, and your rent also has to pass rent reasonableness against comparable unassisted units. In practice, price at or near the payment standard for your ZIP and be ready to show the comps support it.
The FY2026 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom in Camden County is $2,170. Because Camden County uses ZIP-code-level Small Area FMRs, the payment standard for your specific ZIP can sit above or below that figure. Ask us for your ZIP's current number.
HUD publishes new Fair Market Rents every fall, effective October 1. Housing authorities then update their payment standards on their own schedules. An existing HAP contract does not reprice automatically, rent increases are requested annually in your PHA's window.
Usually yes. The tenant contributes roughly 30 percent of household income and the housing authority direct deposits the balance, so the voucher portion typically covers 60 to 100 percent of your contract rent.
Free Owner Consult
One address, one bedroom count, and we will pull the current number, check the comps, and give you a straight answer on whether the program beats the open market for your unit. Free.
Or use the form on our For Owners page.