High-FMR payment standards - Bellingham, WA MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Bellingham, WA MSA is $1,794/month - 86th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#339 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 21.5% above market ; FMR rows touch Whatcom County .
Expensive rung: who shares Bellingham, WA MSA's FMR tier
Near-amount peers: Ocean City, NJ MSA ($1,792), Ansonia town, CT Exception Area ($1,788), Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA ($1,787) .
For scale, bottom-quartile published amounts include Fayette County, WV HUD Metro FMR Area, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA, Bay City, MI MSA, Binghamton, NY MSA, Floyd County, VA HUD Metro FMR Area, Allen County, KY HUD Metro FMR Area - those metros are not substitutes for lease-up planning in Bellingham, WA MSA.
WA-state FMR neighbors for Bellingham, WA MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside WA: Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA ($1,720); Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA ($1,960); Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA MSA ($2,031); Walla Walla, WA MSA ($1,550); Kennewick-Richland, WA MSA ($1,538); Spokane, WA HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,531); Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA MSA ($1,500); Longview-Kelso, WA MSA ($1,451) . 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 Bellingham, WA MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,463/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,493/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,794/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,495/mo |
| 4-BR | $3,010/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Bellingham, WA 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 Bellingham, WA 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 | $1,463/mo | $1,317/mo | $1,609/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,493/mo | $1,344/mo | $1,642/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,794/mo | $1,615/mo | $1,973/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,495/mo | $2,246/mo | $2,745/mo |
| 4-BR | $3,010/mo | $2,709/mo | $3,311/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Bellingham, WA MSA, the HUD reference rent is $1,794/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,615–$1,973/month before any tenant income share.
HUD FMR filing-year trail · Bellingham, WA MSA
Published two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for this HUD area across FY2022-2026. Year-over-year deltas compare adjacent fiscal years only. This is a historical HUD reference-rent series, not a PHA payment standard, unit quote, availability, eligibility, or waitlist result.
- Latest 2-BR
- $1,794
- FY2026
- vs prior FY
- +9.3%
- from FY2025 $1,642
- Span change
- +43.1%
- FY2022-2026
- Years shown
- 5
- HUD FMR history
| FY | 2-BR FMR | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $1,254/mo | - |
| 2023 | $1,355/mo | +8.1% |
| 2024 | $1,571/mo | +15.9% |
| 2025 | $1,642/mo | +4.5% |
| 2026 | $1,794/mo | +9.3% |
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rents historical series for Bellingham, WA MSA, FY2022-2026. Adjacent-year deltas only.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,477/mo → 21.5% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Bellingham, WA MSA.
PHAs naming Bellingham, WA MSA
- Housing Authority City of Bellingham · 1,957 HCV units
Need the full directory? Browse all HUD PHA records in Washington . The directory does not report current availability or waitlists.
WA agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in WA whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
- Housing Authority City of Longview
- HA City of Yakima
- HA City of Kennewick
- HA City of Walla Walla
- Housing Authority City of Bellingham
- Peninsula Housing Authority
- Housing Authority of the City of Bremerton
- Housing Authority of Skagit County
- HA Of Chelan Co and the City of Wenatchee
- HA Of Grays Harbor County
Full near-amount ladder
- Ocean City, NJ MSA · $1,792
- Ansonia town, CT Exception Area · $1,788
- Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA · $1,787
- Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,785
- Palm Coast, FL HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,806
- Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,781
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA · $1,810
- Beaufort County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,816
- Martin County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,772
- Kingston, NY MSA · $1,818
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,820
- Charlottesville, VA MSA · $1,824
What to do with this FMR desk
Bellingham, WA HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,794/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Read the FY2022-2026 filing trail (+43.1% across the span) before comparing peers. FMR history on this page
- Cross-check the 1 PHA record tied to this market against the HUD directory profile. Housing Authority City of Bellingham
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (21.5% 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