High-FMR payment standards - Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA is $2,004/month - 92nd percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#366 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 39.4% above market ; FMR rows touch Hampshire County .
Expensive rung: who shares Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA's FMR tier
Near-amount peers: Naples-Marco Island, FL MSA ($1,986), Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY MSA ($1,979), Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA MSA ($2,031) .
For scale, bottom-quartile published amounts include Boone County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, Amarillo, TX HUD Metro FMR Area, Anniston-Oxford, AL MSA, Alexandria, LA MSA, Arecibo, PR Metro Area, Albany, GA MSA - those metros are not substitutes for lease-up planning in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA.
MA-state FMR neighbors for Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside MA: Fitchburg-Leominster, MA HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,749); Springfield, MA MSA ($1,734); Pittsfield, MA HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,626); Barnstable Town, MA MSA ($2,422); New Bedford, MA HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,527); Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area ($2,941) . Alphabetical “nearby” lists are intentionally not used here - amount proximity is the comparison that matters for payment standards.
What are the HUD FY2026 bedroom FMRs for Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,382/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,580/mo |
| 2-BR | $2,004/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,504/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,702/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA
HUD lets each Public Housing Authority set its payment standard between 90% and 110% of the published Fair Market Rent for the bedroom size served. These dollar amounts are derived from HUD FY2026 FMR for Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA; your PHA may choose a figure inside this band. This is not a quote for a specific unit, availability, or waitlist status.
| Size | HUD FMR | 90% floor | 110% ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,382/mo | $1,244/mo | $1,520/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,580/mo | $1,422/mo | $1,738/mo |
| 2-BR | $2,004/mo | $1,804/mo | $2,204/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,504/mo | $2,254/mo | $2,754/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,702/mo | $2,432/mo | $2,972/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA, the HUD reference rent is $2,004/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,804–$2,204/month before any tenant income share.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,438/mo → 39.4% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA.
MA agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in MA whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
Full near-amount ladder
- Naples-Marco Island, FL MSA · $1,986
- Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY MSA · $1,979
- Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA MSA · $2,031
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA · $1,977
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA · $1,972
- New Haven, CT MSA · $1,969
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA · $1,961
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA · $1,960
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL MSA · $1,958
- Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA · $1,950
- Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,931
- Calvert County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area · $2,083
What to do with this FMR desk
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $2,004/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (39.4% above market). Metro gap page
- Confirm how PHAs may set payment standards at 90-110% of FMR, and why the two figures are not interchangeable. FMR vs payment standard
FMR is HUD's published Fair Market Rent for this FMR area. It is not a PHA payment standard, unit quote, eligibility result, or waitlist status. Confirm any leasing figure with the PHA that serves the unit.
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent (FY2026) ; Census ACS median gross rent. Confirm the live PHA figure before leasing. Methodology.
Verify with HUD → · Verify with U.S. Census Bureau → · Set a September HUD update reminder