Home/CA/Merced County
Merced County, CA
CountySAFMR
Found 22 ZIPs
BRFMR
Eff. Rent
0 BR$970 – $1,370$910 – $1,150
1 BR$1,110 – $1,480$950 – $1,250
2 BR$1,360 – $1,840$1,360 – $1,760
3 BR$1,880 – $2,530$1,880 – $2,140
4 BR$2,290 – $3,060$2,060 – $2,410
5 BR$2,772
6 BR$3,187
7 BR$3,665
8 BR$4,215

Market Alignment

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

Studio
Studio· 1 ZIP
0.60ratio
FMR$1,060
Market$1,780
vs market-$720

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

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
0.69ratio
FMR$1,370
Market$1,980
vs market-$610

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

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
0.80ratio
FMR$1,110
Market$1,390
vs market-$280

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

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
0.83ratio
FMR$1,040
Market$1,260
vs market-$220

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

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
0.88ratio
FMR$1,110
Market$1,260
vs market-$150

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

1
Studio· 2 ZIPs
0.90–0.92ratio range
Median FMR$1,195
Median Market$1,310
vs market-$115

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

2
Studio· 2 ZIPs
1.01–1.02ratio range
Median FMR$1,130
Median Market$1,115
vs market+$15

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

2
Studio· 1 ZIP
1.07ratio
FMR$970
Market$910
vs market+$60

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

1
0.60–1.07
1 BR
1 BR· 1 ZIP
0.60ratio
FMR$1,150
Market$1,930
vs market-$780

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

1
1 BR· 1 ZIP
0.73ratio
FMR$1,480
Market$2,030
vs market-$550

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

1
1 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.84–0.86ratio range
Median FMR$1,165
Median Market$1,375
vs market-$210

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

2
1 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.87–0.89ratio range
Median FMR$1,210
Median Market$1,375
vs market-$165

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

2
1 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.96–0.97ratio range
Median FMR$1,295
Median Market$1,340
vs market-$45

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

2
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.13ratio
FMR$1,250
Market$1,110
vs market+$140

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.17ratio
FMR$1,110
Market$950
vs market+$160

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
0.60–1.17
2 BR
2 BR· 1 ZIP
0.72ratio
FMR$1,430
Market$1,980
vs market-$550

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

1
2 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.76ratio range
Median FMR$1,450
Median Market$1,905
vs market-$455

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

2
2 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.79–0.80ratio range
Median FMR$1,405
Median Market$1,770
vs market-$365

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

2
2 BR· 1 ZIP
0.84ratio
FMR$1,490
Market$1,780
vs market-$290

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

1
2 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.86–0.88ratio range
Median FMR$1,695
Median Market$1,955
vs market-$260

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

2
2 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.95ratio range
Median FMR$1,630
Median Market$1,715
vs market-$85

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

2
0.72–0.95
3 BR
3 BR· 1 ZIP
0.89ratio
FMR$1,970
Market$2,210
vs market-$240

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

3 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.90–0.93ratio range
Median FMR$1,905
Median Market$2,075
vs market-$170

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

2
3 BR· 1 ZIP
0.97ratio
FMR$2,050
Market$2,110
vs market-$60

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

3 BR· 3 ZIPs
0.99–1.02ratio range
Median FMR$2,060
Median Market$2,090
vs market-$30

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

3
3 BR· 2 ZIPs
1.05ratio range
Median FMR$2,240
Median Market$2,135
vs market+$105

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

2
3 BR· 1 ZIP
1.17ratio
FMR$2,530
Market$2,170
vs market+$360

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

0.89–1.17
4 BR
4 BR· 1 ZIP
0.93ratio
FMR$2,290
Market$2,450
vs market-$160

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

4 BR· 2 ZIPs
0.98–1.00ratio range
Median FMR$2,355
Median Market$2,370
vs market-$15

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

2
4 BR· 3 ZIPs
1.07–1.09ratio range
Median FMR$2,480
Median Market$2,290
vs market+$190

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

3
4 BR· 1 ZIP
1.10ratio
FMR$2,500
Market$2,270
vs market+$230

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

4 BR· 1 ZIP
1.17ratio
FMR$2,930
Market$2,500
vs market+$430

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

4 BR· 1 ZIP
1.21ratio
FMR$2,500
Market$2,060
vs market+$440

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

4 BR· 1 ZIP
1.35ratio
FMR$3,060
Market$2,270
vs market+$790

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

0.93–1.35
0.700.800.901.001.101.201.30aligned range

Voucher alignment varies significantly by bedroom size in this area.

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 Merced County, CA (CA) 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.