High-FMR payment standards - Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA is $1,950/month - 90th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#357 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 19.1% above market ; FMR rows touch Mercer County .
Expensive rung: who shares Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA's FMR tier
Near-amount peers: North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL MSA ($1,958), Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA ($1,960), Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA ($1,961) .
For scale, bottom-quartile published amounts include Topeka, KS MSA, Toledo, OH MSA, Little River County, AR HUD Metro FMR Area, Terre Haute, IN HUD Metro FMR Area, Bosque County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area, Springfield, OH MSA - those metros are not substitutes for lease-up planning in Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA.
NJ-state FMR neighbors for Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA
Closest 2-BR amounts inside NJ: Warren County, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,895); Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,867); Ocean City, NJ MSA ($1,792); Vineland, NJ MSA ($1,673); Bergen-Passaic, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area ($2,324) . 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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,344/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,545/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,950/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,338/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,670/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Trenton-Princeton, NJ 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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ 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 | $1,344/mo | $1,210/mo | $1,478/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,545/mo | $1,391/mo | $1,700/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,950/mo | $1,755/mo | $2,145/mo |
| 3-BR | $2,338/mo | $2,104/mo | $2,572/mo |
| 4-BR | $2,670/mo | $2,403/mo | $2,937/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA, the HUD reference rent is $1,950/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,755–$2,145/month before any tenant income share.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,638/mo → 19.1% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA.
NJ agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in NJ whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
- Brick Housing Authority
- Union County Housing Authority
- Middlesex County
- Weehawken Housing Authority
- Edison Housing Authority
- Housing Authority of the Township of Middleto
- Irvington Housing Authority
- Glassboro Housing Authority
- Housing Authority of the Borough of Lodi
- Housing Authority City of Linden
Full near-amount ladder
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL MSA · $1,958
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA · $1,960
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA · $1,961
- Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,931
- New Haven, CT MSA · $1,969
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA · $1,972
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA · $1,977
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA · $1,922
- Flagstaff, AZ MSA · $1,921
- Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY MSA · $1,979
- Naples-Marco Island, FL MSA · $1,986
- Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA · $2,004
What to do with this FMR desk
Trenton-Princeton, NJ HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,950/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (19.1% 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