Maine Fair Market Rents 2026

HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for each of the 16 counties in Maine. It is the rent estimate your housing authority starts from when it decides how much a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher will cover. The statewide median two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,418 per month, ranging from $1,224 in Aroostook County to $1,833 in Cumberland County.

What it takes to afford a two-bedroom in Maine

Housing wage
$28.42/hr
Annual income needed
$59,114
Hours at minimum wage
78/wk

To rent a modest two-bedroom in Maine without spending more than 30% of income on housing, a household needs to earn $28.42 per hour full time. At the state minimum wage of $14.65, that means working 78 hours a week. Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2025.

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FY2026 Fair Market Rents by County

County Studio 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4 BR
Androscoggin County $1,140 $1,218 $1,586 $2,050 $2,305
Aroostook County $942 $949 $1,224 $1,672 $1,739
Cumberland County (from — 2 rent areas) $1,264 $1,397 $1,833 $2,380 $3,038
Franklin County $911 $1,008 $1,322 $1,750 $1,757
Hancock County $1,227 $1,234 $1,501 $2,047 $2,055
Kennebec County $1,082 $1,090 $1,416 $1,819 $2,158
Knox County $1,223 $1,270 $1,526 $1,928 $2,085
Lincoln County $1,222 $1,280 $1,403 $1,936 $1,943
Oxford County $893 $989 $1,295 $1,801 $2,172
Penobscot County (from — 2 rent areas) $982 $1,061 $1,392 $1,799 $2,010
Piscataquis County $978 $1,081 $1,419 $1,701 $1,879
Sagadahoc County $1,105 $1,264 $1,577 $2,193 $2,645
Somerset County $1,015 $1,083 $1,266 $1,689 $1,812
Waldo County $1,156 $1,163 $1,438 $1,865 $2,025
Washington County $863 $954 $1,252 $1,739 $1,943
York County (from — 3 rent areas) $1,281 $1,412 $1,716 $2,298 $2,561

Find a housing authority in Maine

Fair Market Rent sets the ceiling, but the housing authority issuing your voucher sets the payment standard and runs the waiting list. Start there.

Maine Housing Authorities Maine Waiting Lists

For FY2026, Cumberland County has the highest two-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Maine at $1,833 per month, while Aroostook County has the lowest at $1,224. The statewide median two-bedroom FMR is $1,418.

No. Each housing authority in Maine sets its own payment standard, anywhere from 90% to 110% of the HUD Fair Market Rent for its area, and some receive HUD approval to go higher. Two authorities serving the same county can pay different amounts, so confirm the figure with the authority that will issue your voucher.

Find your county in the table below to see the FY2026 rent HUD estimates for each bedroom size. That figure is the starting point your housing authority uses to set its payment standard, which caps the subsidy on your unit. You generally pay about 30% of your adjusted monthly income, with the voucher covering the rest up to that cap.

Source: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026 · huduser.gov

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, familial status, gender, and disability. The Fair Housing Act ensures that all persons receive equal housing opportunity. For more information about the Fair Housing Act and your rights, visit the Department of Housing and Urban Development .