Montana Fair Market Rents 2026

HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for each of the 56 counties in Montana. 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 $1,307 per month, ranging from $973 in Phillips County to $2,154 in Gallatin County.

What it takes to afford a two-bedroom in Montana

Housing wage
$28.99/hr
Annual income needed
$60,299
Hours at minimum wage
110/wk

To rent a modest two-bedroom in Montana without spending more than 30% of income on housing, a household needs to earn $28.99 per hour full time. At the state minimum wage of $10.55, that means working 110 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
Beaverhead County $803 $978 $1,072 $1,491 $1,798
Big Horn County $976 $992 $1,302 $1,657 $2,115
Blaine County $887 $902 $1,184 $1,420 $1,914
Broadwater County $1,240 $1,595 $1,748 $2,096 $2,856
Carbon County $1,016 $1,109 $1,417 $1,951 $2,216
Carter County $932 $1,002 $1,244 $1,492 $2,011
Cascade County $960 $979 $1,284 $1,786 $2,035
Chouteau County $980 $996 $1,307 $1,662 $1,950
Custer County $1,109 $1,226 $1,608 $2,154 $2,322
Daniels County $767 $900 $1,023 $1,414 $1,654
Dawson County $940 $956 $1,254 $1,504 $1,942
Deer Lodge County $809 $985 $1,080 $1,502 $1,812
Fallon County $1,050 $1,093 $1,401 $1,936 $2,265
Fergus County $1,084 $1,102 $1,446 $1,991 $2,338
Flathead County $1,267 $1,289 $1,691 $2,224 $2,837
Gallatin County $1,485 $1,642 $2,154 $2,996 $3,537
Garfield County $824 $858 $1,099 $1,349 $1,777
Glacier County $956 $1,033 $1,275 $1,529 $1,836
Golden Valley County $1,004 $1,045 $1,339 $1,862 $2,165
Granite County $789 $822 $1,053 $1,464 $1,702
Hill County $980 $1,069 $1,307 $1,724 $1,731
Jefferson County $968 $1,070 $1,404 $1,946 $1,954
Judith Basin County $869 $905 $1,160 $1,583 $1,875
Lake County $1,097 $1,104 $1,444 $1,865 $1,990
Lewis and Clark County $1,136 $1,319 $1,647 $2,250 $2,496
Liberty County $775 $807 $1,034 $1,438 $1,672
Lincoln County $919 $1,067 $1,170 $1,627 $1,892
Madison County $1,154 $1,202 $1,540 $2,073 $2,583
McCone County $1,160 $1,208 $1,548 $2,139 $2,503
Meagher County $1,044 $1,087 $1,393 $1,925 $2,252
Mineral County $941 $1,083 $1,361 $1,632 $1,915
Missoula County $1,143 $1,400 $1,655 $2,302 $2,776
Musselshell County $1,007 $1,226 $1,344 $1,869 $2,255
Park County $1,107 $1,385 $1,605 $2,232 $2,692
Petroleum County $1,160 $1,208 $1,548 $2,139 $2,503
Phillips County $729 $888 $973 $1,353 $1,573
Pondera County $940 $1,144 $1,254 $1,619 $1,892
Powder River County $768 $800 $1,025 $1,426 $1,657
Powell County $849 $884 $1,133 $1,576 $1,832
Prairie County $1,160 $1,208 $1,548 $2,139 $2,503
Ravalli County $1,116 $1,145 $1,423 $1,979 $2,387
Richland County $1,143 $1,197 $1,312 $1,573 $2,201
Roosevelt County $909 $915 $1,201 $1,440 $1,942
Rosebud County $889 $993 $1,186 $1,649 $1,990
Sanders County $769 $878 $1,115 $1,337 $1,803
Sheridan County $908 $923 $1,211 $1,684 $1,809
Silver Bow County $1,028 $1,149 $1,414 $1,967 $2,180
Stillwater County $884 $958 $1,257 $1,748 $2,109
Sweet Grass County $881 $918 $1,176 $1,551 $1,638
Teton County $1,019 $1,241 $1,360 $1,891 $2,171
Toole County $918 $1,052 $1,230 $1,702 $1,712
Treasure County $1,160 $1,208 $1,548 $2,139 $2,503
Valley County $899 $915 $1,200 $1,566 $1,753
Wheatland County $837 $872 $1,117 $1,553 $1,806
Wibaux County $1,160 $1,208 $1,548 $2,139 $2,503
Yellowstone County $1,016 $1,109 $1,417 $1,951 $2,216

Find a housing authority in Montana

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

Montana Housing Authorities Montana Waiting Lists

For FY2026, Gallatin County has the highest two-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Montana at $2,154 per month, while Phillips County has the lowest at $973. The statewide median two-bedroom FMR is $1,307.

No. Each housing authority in Montana 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 .