New Hampshire Fair Market Rents 2026

HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for each of the 10 counties in New Hampshire. 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 $1,855 per month, ranging from $1,287 in Coos County to $2,194 in Rockingham County.

What it takes to afford a two-bedroom in New Hampshire

Housing wage
$35.08/hr
Annual income needed
$72,966
Hours at minimum wage
194/wk

To rent a modest two-bedroom in New Hampshire without spending more than 30% of income on housing, a household needs to earn $35.08 per hour full time. At the state minimum wage of $7.25, that means working 194 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
Belknap County $1,241 $1,425 $1,800 $2,219 $2,676
Carroll County $1,190 $1,343 $1,709 $2,353 $2,834
Cheshire County $1,328 $1,468 $1,926 $2,518 $2,550
Coos County $988 $994 $1,287 $1,702 $1,708
Grafton County $1,445 $1,455 $1,909 $2,590 $2,630
Hillsborough County (from — 3 rent areas) $1,286 $1,294 $1,698 $2,036 $2,842
Merrimack County $1,361 $1,504 $1,974 $2,604 $2,614
Rockingham County (from — 4 rent areas) $1,601 $1,677 $2,194 $2,693 $2,941
Strafford County $1,601 $1,677 $2,194 $2,693 $2,941
Sullivan County $1,216 $1,332 $1,747 $2,418 $2,694

Find a housing authority in New Hampshire

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

New Hampshire Housing Authorities New Hampshire Waiting Lists

For FY2026, Rockingham County has the highest two-bedroom Fair Market Rent in New Hampshire at $2,194 per month, while Coos County has the lowest at $1,287. The statewide median two-bedroom FMR is $1,855.

No. Each housing authority in New Hampshire 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 .