21042
ZIPSAFMR
Howard County, MD
BRFMR
Eff. Rent
0 BR$1,820$1,420
1 BR$2,020$1,530
2 BR$2,480$1,880
3 BR$3,150$2,670
4 BR$3,490$3,490
5 BR$4,013
6 BR$4,616
7 BR$5,308
8 BR$6,104

Market Alignment

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

Studio
Studio
1.28ratio
FMR$1,820
Market$1,420
vs market+$400

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

1.28
1 BR
1 BR
1.32ratio
FMR$2,020
Market$1,530
vs market+$490

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

1.32
2 BR
2 BR
1.32ratio
FMR$2,480
Market$1,880
vs market+$600

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

1.32
3 BR
3 BR
1.18ratio
FMR$3,150
Market$2,670
vs market+$480

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

1.18
4 BR
4 BR
0.95ratio
FMR$3,490
Market$3,660
vs market-$170

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

0.95
0.700.800.901.001.101.201.30aligned range

HUD benchmarks exceed market rents for larger unit sizes.

Bedroom curve

Historical
See FMR progression in recent years

Data indexed

FMR
FY2026
Market rent
last ~365 days

Purchase Price Calculator

Maximum purchase price
$306,610
Rent
$2,480
Down payment
$61,322
Loan
$245,288
Mortgage
$1,550
Expenses
$730
Market inputs
About this result(HUD FMR/SAFMR details)

This page shows HUD Fair Market Rent data for 21042 (MD) 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.