WA/Whatcom County/BELLINGHAM
BELLINGHAM, WA
CitySAFMR
Whatcom County
Found 5 ZIPs
BRFMR
Eff. Rent
0 BR$1,430 – $1,540$1,360 – $1,460
1 BR$1,460 – $1,570$1,460 – $1,510
2 BR$1,760 – $1,890$1,760 – $1,820
3 BR$2,450 – $2,630$2,450 – $2,530
4 BR$2,950 – $3,170$2,950 – $3,050
5 BR$3,450
6 BR$3,967
7 BR$4,563
8 BR$5,247

Market Alignment

How HUD fair market rents align with the state of the rental market.

Studio
Studio· 1 ZIP
0.89ratio
FMR$1,430
Market$1,600
vs market-$170

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
1.03ratio
FMR$1,540
Market$1,490
vs market+$50

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
1.09ratio
FMR$1,480
Market$1,360
vs market+$120

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
0.89–1.09
1 BR
1 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.78–0.80ratio range
Median FMR$1,485
Median Market$1,880
vs market-$395

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

2
1 BR· 1 ZIP
0.90ratio
FMR$1,570
Market$1,750
vs market-$180

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
0.78–0.90
2 BR
2 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.78–0.79ratio range
Median FMR$1,790
Median Market$2,275
vs market-$485

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

2
2 BR· 1 ZIP
0.90ratio
FMR$1,890
Market$2,110
vs market-$220

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
0.78–0.90
3 BR
3 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.89ratio range
Median FMR$2,490
Median Market$2,800
vs market-$310

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

2
3 BR· 1 ZIP
0.94ratio
FMR$2,630
Market$2,790
vs market-$160

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
0.89–0.94
4 BR
4 BR· 3 ZIPs
0.90–0.92ratio range
Median FMR$3,050
Median Market$3,350
vs market-$300

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

3
0.90–0.92
0.700.800.901.001.101.201.30aligned range

Voucher rents are below market for smaller unit sizes.

Bedroom curve

Historical
See FMR progression in recent years

Data indexed

FMR
FY2026
Market rent
last ~365 days

ZIP Codes

Ranked by Investment Score (vs area median)

About this result(HUD FMR/SAFMR details)

This page shows HUD Fair Market Rent data for BELLINGHAM, WA (WA) for FY 2026. Fair Market Rent (FMR) is a HUD benchmark used to determine payment standards for programs like the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program.

Values are shown for 0–4 bedroom units. In some metro areas HUD publishes Small Area FMR (SAFMR) at the ZIP-code level; otherwise the county/metropolitan-area FMR applies. This result is labeled SAFMR based on HUD's designation for the area and the available data.

Tip: use these numbers as a starting point and confirm local program rules (payment standards may differ from HUD's published FMR). If you're comparing neighborhoods, SAFMR ZIP ranges can highlight variation within the same county.