FY2026 Fair Market Rents for Martin County, NC
Every year, HUD publishes Fair Market Rent (FMR) figures for every county in the country — the basis for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment standards, and one of the only sourced, government-published rent benchmarks available for a market this size. Martin County is designated non-metropolitan. Here are the current, final figures, straight from HUD's own FMR Documentation System:
| Unit Size | FY2026 FMR | FY2025 FMR |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency (0BR) | $700 | $704 |
| One-Bedroom | $705 | $709 |
| Two-Bedroom | $925 | $930 |
| Three-Bedroom | $1,220 | $1,212 |
| Four-Bedroom | $1,225 | $1,233 |
For a typical single-family rental — three or four bedrooms — that's a FY2026 FMR of $1,220 or $1,225 a month. Worth knowing before you lean on the two-bedroom figure specifically: at $925, it sits on North Carolina's statutory statewide minimum FMR rather than a Martin-County-specific calculation, because the county's own preliminary two-bedroom estimate came in below that floor. The other four bedroom sizes reflect Martin County's own data directly.
This is a policy figure, not a market-rent survey
FMR exists to set voucher payment standards, not to tell an investor what a house will actually rent for. Martin County's SourceRE MLS feed is scoped and live, which means real comparable listings and rental comps are available here in a way they aren't in every rural county this brokerage covers — use them, not just this table, before underwriting a purchase.
What this means for a single-family rental investor
- Use it as a floor reference for a Housing Choice Voucher tenant. A public housing agency's payment standard — typically 90-110% of FMR, at the agency's discretion — is the ceiling on the subsidized portion of rent. Confirm the specific agency serving Martin County through HUD's own PHA directory.
- Weigh the local economy. Williamston's manufacturing base and its position as a genuine US-17/US-64 crossroads — roughly 28 miles from Greenville — give this county steadier rental demand than a purely agricultural county, worth factoring into vacancy assumptions.
- Price flood and insurance risk on river-adjacent property. The River & Outdoors brief's Flood Risk chapter covers this honestly — a rental near the Roanoke River carries a real insurance cost that belongs in your pro forma, not a surprise after closing.
- Don't treat FMR as a purchase-price justification. A rent figure alone doesn't tell you what to pay — that math also needs your actual financing terms, insurance, taxes, and maintenance reserve.
Financing an investment property here
The USDA and FHA programs covered on this site's other financing pages are primary-residence programs and generally don't apply to a straight rental purchase. Investment-property purchases typically run through conventional non-owner-occupant financing or investor-focused products such as debt-service-coverage-ratio loans, with larger down payments and different underwriting than an owner-occupant mortgage.
Frequently asked questions
What is HUD Fair Market Rent, exactly?
Fair Market Rent (FMR) is a figure HUD publishes annually for every county and metro area in the country, primarily to set payment standards for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. HUD calculates it from Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) rent data, adjusted for inflation and trended forward to the fiscal year. It is a federal policy benchmark, not an appraisal, a rent-roll survey, or a promise of what any specific unit will actually rent for.
Why is the 2-bedroom figure exactly $925?
Because it's North Carolina's statutory statewide minimum FMR, not a Martin-County-specific calculation. Martin County's own preliminary 2-bedroom estimate came in below $925, so HUD raised it to that floor. The other four bedroom sizes are calculated from Martin County's own data.
Does a landlord have to accept Section 8 vouchers in Martin County?
Whether a landlord must accept vouchers depends on state and local source-of-income discrimination law, which changes over time and by jurisdiction — this page does not state a current legal requirement for Martin County specifically. Confirm the current rule with a NC real estate attorney before assuming either way.
Is the FMR the rent I should expect to charge?
Not automatically. FMR is a floor-setting policy figure, not a live market survey of what Martin County renters are actually paying. Verify actual achievable market rent with current local comps — the SourceRE MLS feed is scoped and live for this county, so real comps are available here in a way they aren't in every sibling county.
What about a rental near the Roanoke River?
Read the River & Outdoors brief's Flood Risk chapter before you buy — it covers flood zones and risk honestly rather than glossing over them, and that risk translates directly into insurance cost, which belongs in a rental pro forma just as much as a purchase decision.
Evaluating a Specific Rental Property?
Travis can walk an actual address against this data — FMR by bedroom count, flood/insurance exposure if it's river-adjacent, and what financing is realistically available for an investment purchase in Martin County.
Data note: FMR figures are sourced directly from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent Documentation System for Martin County, NC (huduser.gov), current as of this page's publication date. FMR is a federal policy benchmark for the Housing Choice Voucher program, not a market-rent appraisal, and does not guarantee achievable rent for any specific property. This page is not financial, tax, or investment advice — verify current figures at huduser.gov, and confirm market rent, financing terms, and insurance costs for any specific property with the relevant licensed professionals before making an investment decision.