Above-median FMR - Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA is $1,497/month - 69th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#274 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 26.3% above market ; FMR rows touch Polk County .
Upper-half placement for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA
Above the national median but shy of the top quartile. Closest amounts: Albany, OR MSA; Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA MSA; Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area; Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA .
Low-FMR contrast set: Acadia Parish, LA HUD Metro FMR Area, Las Cruces, NM MSA, Kokomo, IN MSA, Lawton, OK HUD Metro FMR Area, Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA MSA, Lima, OH MSA .
FL-state FMR neighbors for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside FL: Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,493); Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL MSA ($1,471); Punta Gorda, FL MSA ($1,470); Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL MSA ($1,604); Ocala, FL MSA ($1,373); Tallahassee, FL HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,352); Wildwood-The Villages, FL MSA ($1,328); Panama City, FL HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,682) . 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,226/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,230/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,497/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,023/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,511/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 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 | $1,226/mo | $1,103/mo | $1,349/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,230/mo | $1,107/mo | $1,353/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,497/mo | $1,347/mo | $1,647/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,023/mo | $1,821/mo | $2,225/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,511/mo | $2,260/mo | $2,762/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA, the HUD reference rent is $1,497/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,347–$1,647/month before any tenant income share.
HUD FMR filing-year trail · Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 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
- $1,497
- FY2026
- vs prior FY
- +12.0%
- from FY2025 $1,337
- Span change
- +41.8%
- FY2022-2026
- Years shown
- 5
- HUD FMR history
| FY | 2-BR FMR | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $1,056/mo | - |
| 2023 | $1,157/mo | +9.6% |
| 2024 | $1,250/mo | +8.0% |
| 2025 | $1,337/mo | +7.0% |
| 2026 | $1,497/mo | +12.0% |
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rents historical series for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA, FY2022-2026. Adjacent-year deltas only.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,185/mo → 26.3% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA.
FL agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in FL whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
- HA BOCA RATON
- Panama City Housing Authority
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF TITUSVILLE
- DANIA BEACH HOUSING AUTHORITY
- Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF FORT PIERCE
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DEERFIELD BEACH
- Hollywood Housing Authority
- Lake County Housing Agency
- Seminole County Housing Authority
Full near-amount ladder
- Albany, OR MSA · $1,500
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA MSA · $1,500
- Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,493
- Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA · $1,493
- Merced, CA MSA · $1,503
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA · $1,483
- Gainesville, GA MSA · $1,514
- Visalia, CA MSA · $1,474
- Indianapolis-Carmel, IN HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,473
- Knoxville, TN HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,471
- Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL MSA · $1,471
- Dover, DE MSA · $1,470
What to do with this FMR desk
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,497/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Read the FY2022-2026 filing trail (+41.8% across the span) before comparing peers. FMR history on this page
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (26.3% 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