Essex County, Massachusetts Fair Market Rent 2026

The FY2026 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Essex County is $2,270 to $2,941 per month. This is the figure HUD gives your housing authority when it decides how much a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher covers here.

FY2026 Fair Market Rents by Bedroom Size

Gross rent, including tenant-paid utilities other than phone, cable, and internet.

Studio
$1,565
up to $2,359
per month
1 Bedroom
$1,730
up to $2,476
per month
2 Bedrooms
$2,270
up to $2,941
per month
3 Bedrooms
$2,722
up to $3,526
per month
4 Bedrooms
$3,006
up to $3,894
per month

This county has 2 separate rent schedules

HUD applies Small Area Fair Market Rents to parts of Essex County, meaning the rent cap depends on where in the county the unit sits rather than on the county as a whole. Your housing authority can confirm which schedule applies to a specific address.

Schedule Studio 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4 BR
Area 1 $1,565 $1,730 $2,270 $2,722 $3,006
Area 2 $2,359 $2,476 $2,941 $3,526 $3,894
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What you would actually pay in Essex County

With a Housing Choice Voucher you contribute about 30% of your adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities. The housing authority pays the rest, up to its payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of the Fair Market Rent shown above.

For a two-bedroom in Essex County, that puts the likely payment standard somewhere between $2,043 and $3,235 per month. Confirm the exact figure with the authority issuing your voucher before signing a lease, since anything above the payment standard comes out of your own pocket.

Affording this rent without a voucher

Renting a two-bedroom in Massachusetts at 30% of income takes an hourly wage of $45.90 working full time, or about $95,472 a year. At the state minimum wage of $15.00, that is 123 hours a week.

Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2025 (statewide figure).

Housing authorities serving Essex County

These agencies issue vouchers and run the waiting lists for this county. Payment standards are set by the authority, not by HUD.

All Massachusetts Fair Market Rents Massachusetts Waiting Lists

For FY2026, HUD publishes 2 separate rent schedules covering Essex County, because the county falls under Small Area Fair Market Rents. The two-bedroom Fair Market Rent ranges from $2,270 to $2,941 per month depending on which part of the county the unit sits in. Your housing authority can tell you which schedule applies to a specific address.

The two-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Essex County is $2,270, compared with a statewide median of $2,207 across Massachusetts. That is 3% above the median.

Not necessarily. The Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate, but the housing authority serving Essex County sets its own payment standard between 90% and 110% of that figure. Your voucher covers the difference between roughly 30% of your adjusted monthly income and the payment standard. If the unit rents for more than the payment standard, you pay the excess yourself.

14 housing authorities serve Essex County. Applications go through the housing authority, not HUD, and each one runs its own waiting list with its own opening schedule. The authorities serving this county are listed on this page.

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 .