Above-median FMR - El Centro, CA MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for El Centro, CA MSA is $1,362/month - 58th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#231 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 34.5% above market ; FMR rows touch Imperial County .
Upper-half placement for El Centro, CA MSA
Above the national median but shy of the top quartile. Closest amounts: Warner Robins, GA HUD Metro FMR Area; Grants Pass, OR MSA; Mineral County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area; Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ MSA .
Low-FMR contrast set: Elizabethtown, KY HUD Metro FMR Area, Eagle Pass, TX MSA, Enid, OK MSA, Dubuque, IA MSA, Evansville, IN MSA, Dothan, AL HUD Metro FMR Area .
CA-state FMR neighbors for El Centro, CA MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside CA: Madera, CA MSA ($1,376); Hanford-Corcoran, CA MSA ($1,469); Visalia, CA MSA ($1,474); Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA ($1,483); Merced, CA MSA ($1,503); Yuba City, CA MSA ($1,550); Redding, CA MSA ($1,590); Chico, CA MSA ($1,625) . 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 El Centro, CA MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $939/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,038/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,362/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,845/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,285/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for El Centro, CA 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 El Centro, CA 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 | $939/mo | $845/mo | $1,033/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,038/mo | $934/mo | $1,142/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,362/mo | $1,226/mo | $1,498/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,845/mo | $1,661/mo | $2,030/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,285/mo | $2,057/mo | $2,514/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in El Centro, CA MSA, the HUD reference rent is $1,362/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,226–$1,498/month before any tenant income share.
HUD FMR filing-year trail · El Centro, CA 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
- $1,362
- FY2026
- vs prior FY
- -0.7%
- from FY2025 $1,371
- Span change
- +27.9%
- FY2022-2026
- Years shown
- 5
- HUD FMR history
| FY | 2-BR FMR | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $1,065/mo | - |
| 2023 | $1,155/mo | +8.5% |
| 2024 | $1,286/mo | +11.3% |
| 2025 | $1,371/mo | +6.6% |
| 2026 | $1,362/mo | -0.7% |
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rents historical series for El Centro, CA MSA, FY2022-2026. Adjacent-year deltas only.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,013/mo → 34.5% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for El Centro, CA MSA.
CA agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in CA whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
- Imperial Valley Housing Authority
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF REDDING
- Housing Authority of the City of Oxnard
- CITY OF SANTA ROSA
- Housing Authority of the County of Yolo
- Housing Authority of the City of Glendale
- Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura
- Regional Housing Authority
- City of Oceanside Community Development Comm
- CITY OF ALAMEDA HOUSING AUTHORITY
Full near-amount ladder
- Warner Robins, GA HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,362
- Grants Pass, OR MSA · $1,363
- Mineral County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,361
- Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ MSA · $1,365
- Kansas City, MO-KS HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,358
- Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC MSA · $1,358
- Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,368
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,353
- Tallahassee, FL HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,352
- Ocala, FL MSA · $1,373
- Sherman-Denison, TX MSA · $1,351
- Gettysburg, PA MSA · $1,374
What to do with this FMR desk
El Centro, CA HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,362/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Read the FY2022-2026 filing trail (+27.9% across the span) before comparing peers. FMR history on this page
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (34.5% 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