High-FMR payment standards - Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area is $2,501/month - 96th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#382 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 25.9% above market ; FMR rows touch King County, Snohomish County .
Geography note: HUD divides this CBSA into 2 separate Fair Market Rent areas, each with its own rent schedule. The amounts above are for Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area only, not the whole metro.
Expensive rung: who shares Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area's FMR tier
Near-amount peers: Kalawao County, HI HUD Metro FMR Area ($2,492), Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT MSA ($2,511), San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA ($2,512) .
For scale, bottom-quartile published amounts include Sheboygan, WI MSA, San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas, PR Metro Area, Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA, Erie County, OH HUD Metro FMR Area, Atascosa County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area, Rock County, MN HUD Metro FMR Area - those metros are not substitutes for lease-up planning in Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area.
WA-state FMR neighbors for Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
Closest 2-BR amounts inside WA: Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA MSA ($2,031); Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA ($1,960); Bellingham, WA MSA ($1,794); Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA ($1,720); 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) . 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 Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $2,074/mo |
| 1-BR | $2,146/mo |
| 2-BR | $2,501/mo |
| 3-BR | $3,272/mo |
| 4-BR | $3,847/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
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 Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area; 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 | $2,074/mo | $1,867/mo | $2,281/mo |
| 1-BR | $2,146/mo | $1,931/mo | $2,361/mo |
| 2-BR | $2,501/mo | $2,251/mo | $2,751/mo |
| 3-BR | $3,272/mo | $2,945/mo | $3,599/mo |
| 4-BR | $3,847/mo | $3,462/mo | $4,232/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area, the HUD reference rent is $2,501/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $2,251–$2,751/month before any tenant income share.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,987/mo → 25.9% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area.
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):
Full near-amount ladder
- Kalawao County, HI HUD Metro FMR Area · $2,492
- Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT MSA · $2,511
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA · $2,512
- Barnstable Town, MA MSA · $2,422
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area · $2,601
- Urban Honolulu, HI MSA · $2,642
- Fort Lauderdale, FL HUD Metro FMR Area · $2,333
- Bergen-Passaic, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area · $2,324
- Salinas, CA MSA · $2,684
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA MSA · $2,693
- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA HUD Metro FMR Area · $2,255
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area · $2,246
What to do with this FMR desk
Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $2,501/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (25.9% 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