New Hanover County, North Carolina Fair Market Rent 2026

The FY2026 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for New Hanover County is $1,659 per month, 53% above the $1,086 median across North Carolina. 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
$1,144
per month
1 Bedroom
$1,513
per month
2 Bedrooms
$1,659
per month
3 Bedrooms
$2,178
per month
4 Bedrooms
$2,319
per month
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What you would actually pay in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County, that puts the likely payment standard somewhere between $1,493 and $1,825 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 North Carolina at 30% of income takes an hourly wage of $27.14 working full time, or about $56,451 a year. At the state minimum wage of $7.25, that is 150 hours a week.

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

Housing authorities serving New Hanover County

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

All North Carolina Fair Market Rents North Carolina Waiting Lists

For FY2026, the Fair Market Rent in New Hanover County is $1,144 for a studio, $1,513 for one bedroom, $1,659 for two bedrooms, $2,178 for three bedrooms, and $2,319 for four bedrooms, per month.

The two-bedroom Fair Market Rent in New Hanover County is $1,659, compared with a statewide median of $1,086 across North Carolina. That is 53% above the median.

Not necessarily. The Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate, but the housing authority serving New Hanover 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.

1 housing authority serves New Hanover 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 .