28698
ZIPSAFMR
Watauga County, NC
BRFMR
Eff. Rent
0 BR$790$790
1 BR$910$910
2 BR$1,150$1,150
3 BR$1,400$1,310
4 BR$1,930$1,470
5 BR$2,220
6 BR$2,552
7 BR$2,935
8 BR$3,376

Market Alignment

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

Studio
Studio
0.72ratio
FMR$790
Market$1,090
vs market-$300

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

0.72
1 BR
1 BR
0.77ratio
FMR$910
Market$1,180
vs market-$270

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

0.77
2 BR
2 BR
0.94ratio
FMR$1,150
Market$1,220
vs market-$70

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

0.94
3 BR
3 BR
1.07ratio
FMR$1,400
Market$1,310
vs market+$90

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

1.07
4 BR
4 BR
1.31ratio
FMR$1,930
Market$1,470
vs market+$460

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

1.31
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

Purchase Price Calculator

Maximum purchase price
$108,973
Rent
$1,150
Down payment
$21,795
Loan
$87,178
Mortgage
$551
Expenses
$399
Market inputs
About this result(HUD FMR/SAFMR details)

This page shows HUD Fair Market Rent data for 28698 (NC) 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.