Lower-FMR payment standards - Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA is $1,095/month - 18th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#73 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 37.6% above market ; FMR rows touch Alexander County, Burke County, Caldwell County, Catawba County .
Low-FMR rung around Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA
Among the lower published 2-BR amounts nationally. Closest: Austin County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,095), Greenville, NC MSA ($1,095), Springfield, MO HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,095) .
Top-quartile contrast metros: Beaufort County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area, Broadwater County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area, Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA, Ithaca, NY MSA, Kalawao County, HI HUD Metro FMR Area, Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area - use only for national scale, not local negotiation.
NC-state FMR neighbors for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside NC: Greenville, NC MSA ($1,095); Anson County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,138); Rocky Mount, NC MSA ($1,143); Jacksonville, NC MSA ($1,173); Davidson County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area ($960); Goldsboro, NC MSA ($1,244); Fayetteville, NC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,251); Camden County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,287) . 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $858/mo |
| 1-BR | $908/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,095/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,372/mo |
| 4-BR | $1,660/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 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 | $858/mo | $772/mo | $944/mo |
| 1-BR | $908/mo | $817/mo | $999/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,095/mo | $986/mo | $1,205/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,372/mo | $1,235/mo | $1,509/mo |
| 4-BR | $1,660/mo | $1,494/mo | $1,826/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA, the HUD reference rent is $1,095/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $986–$1,205/month before any tenant income share.
HUD FMR filing-year trail · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 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
- $1,095
- FY2026
- vs prior FY
- +4.7%
- from FY2025 $1,046
- Span change
- +51.2%
- FY2022-2026
- Years shown
- 5
- HUD FMR history
| FY | 2-BR FMR | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $724/mo | - |
| 2023 | $791/mo | +9.3% |
| 2024 | $1,014/mo | +28.2% |
| 2025 | $1,046/mo | +3.2% |
| 2026 | $1,095/mo | +4.7% |
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rents historical series for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA, FY2022-2026. Adjacent-year deltas only.
ACS median 2-BR rent $796/mo → 37.6% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA.
NC agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in NC whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
- Western Piedmont Council of Governments
- Housing Authority of the City of High Point
- Housing Authority of the City of Wilmington
- Fayetteville Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Gastonia Housing Authority
- Northwestern Regional Housing Authority
- Economic Improvement Council, Inc.
- Isothermal Planning & Development Commission
- Mountain Projects, Inc.
- Housing Authority of the Town of Laurinburg
Full near-amount ladder
- Austin County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,095
- Greenville, NC MSA · $1,095
- Springfield, MO HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,095
- Floyd County, VA HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,094
- Terre Haute, IN HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,094
- Atascosa County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,098
- Darlington County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,098
- Hammond, LA MSA · $1,099
- Morgantown, WV MSA · $1,099
- Wichita, KS HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,099
- Hot Springs, AR MSA · $1,090
- Grand Forks, ND-MN MSA · $1,089
What to do with this FMR desk
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,095/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Read the FY2022-2026 filing trail (+51.2% across the span) before comparing peers. FMR history on this page
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (37.6% 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