Above-median FMR - Merced, CA MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Merced, CA MSA is $1,503/month - 70th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#277 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 31.0% above market ; FMR rows touch Merced County .
Upper-half placement for Merced, CA MSA
Above the national median but shy of the top quartile. Closest amounts: Albany, OR MSA; Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA MSA; Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA; Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area .
Low-FMR contrast set: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX MSA, Mayagüez, PR Metro Area, McHenry County, ND HUD Metro FMR Area, Mobile, AL MSA, Morehouse Parish, LA HUD Metro FMR Area, Montgomery, AL MSA .
CA-state FMR neighbors for Merced, CA MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside CA: Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA ($1,483); Visalia, CA MSA ($1,474); Hanford-Corcoran, CA MSA ($1,469); Yuba City, CA MSA ($1,550); Redding, CA MSA ($1,590); Chico, CA MSA ($1,625); Madera, CA MSA ($1,376); El Centro, CA MSA ($1,362) . 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 Merced, CA MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,116/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,213/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,503/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,067/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,503/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Merced, 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 Merced, 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 | $1,116/mo | $1,004/mo | $1,228/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,213/mo | $1,092/mo | $1,334/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,503/mo | $1,353/mo | $1,653/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,067/mo | $1,860/mo | $2,274/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,503/mo | $2,253/mo | $2,753/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Merced, CA MSA, the HUD reference rent is $1,503/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,353–$1,653/month before any tenant income share.
HUD FMR filing-year trail · Merced, 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
- $1,503
- FY2026
- vs prior FY
- -0.4%
- from FY2025 $1,509
- Span change
- +34.2%
- FY2022-2026
- Years shown
- 5
- HUD FMR history
| FY | 2-BR FMR | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $1,120/mo | - |
| 2023 | $1,243/mo | +11.0% |
| 2024 | $1,420/mo | +14.2% |
| 2025 | $1,509/mo | +6.3% |
| 2026 | $1,503/mo | -0.4% |
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rents historical series for Merced, CA MSA, FY2022-2026. Adjacent-year deltas only.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,147/mo → 31.0% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Merced, CA MSA.
PHAs naming Merced, CA MSA
- County of Merced Housing Authority · 2,891 HCV units
Need the full directory? Browse all HUD PHA records in California . The directory does not report current availability or waitlists.
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):
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF REDDING
- Imperial Valley Housing Authority
- Housing Authority of the City of Glendale
- Housing Authority of the City of Oxnard
- CITY OF SANTA ROSA
- Housing Authority of the County of Yolo
- City of Oceanside Community Development Comm
- Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura
- Regional Housing Authority
- Housing Authority of the City of Santa Monica
Full near-amount ladder
- Albany, OR MSA · $1,500
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA MSA · $1,500
- Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA · $1,497
- Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,493
- Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA · $1,493
- Gainesville, GA MSA · $1,514
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA · $1,483
- Lancaster, PA MSA · $1,526
- New Bedford, MA HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,527
- Medford, OR MSA · $1,530
- Spokane, WA HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,531
- Visalia, CA MSA · $1,474
What to do with this FMR desk
Merced, CA HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,503/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Read the FY2022-2026 filing trail (+34.2% 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. County of Merced Housing Authority
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (31.0% 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