How Much Does Section 8 Pay in New Orleans? (FY2027 Payment Standards by ZIP)
Section 8 in New Orleans starts from one number: HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for the New Orleans-Metairie, LA area, which is $1,480 for a 2-bedroom. Most housing authorities here set their payment standard within a band around that figure. But HUD also publishes a separate Small Area FMR for every ZIP code, and across the 20 ZIPs in Orleans Parish those run from $1,210 in ZIP 70148 to $2,220 in ZIP 70130, which tells you where a voucher stretches and where it doesn't.
Here's how to read those numbers, what they look like across the metro, and what they mean whether you hold a voucher or own a building.
The FY2027 Numbers: Low ZIP vs. High ZIP
HUD's FY2027 Small Area FMRs are the basis for what the housing authorities in the New Orleans metro area will pay. Two real ZIP codes in Orleans Parish show the spread:
| Bedrooms | ZIP 70148 | ZIP 70130 |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $880 | $1,640 |
| 1 BR | $1,010 | $1,840 |
| 2 BR | $1,210 | $2,220 |
| 3 BR | $1,540 | $2,850 |
| 4 BR | $1,800 | $3,350 |
The middle of the range: the median 2-bedroom SAFMR across the 20 ZIP codes in Orleans Parish is $1,500 (ZIP 70128). For reference, HUD's metro-wide FMR for the New Orleans-Metairie, LA area is $1,480 for a 2-bedroom, the figure a housing authority uses unless it has adopted the ZIP-level standards.
One important caveat: these are HUD's FY2027 SAFMRs, the basis for payment standards. Each housing authority sets its actual payment standard within a band around these figures (typically 90% to 110%), so confirm the exact standard for your ZIP with your PHA before signing anything. You can browse the ZIP-by-ZIP numbers on our New Orleans Section 8 guide or straight from HUD's SAFMR dataset.
Beyond Orleans Parish: The Whole Metro
A voucher can often be used elsewhere in the metro through portability, and the New Orleans-Metairie, LA area is bigger than Orleans Parish: 112 ZIP codes in all, from $910 for a 2-bedroom in ZIP 70086 (St. James Parish) up to $2,220 in ZIP 70130 (Orleans Parish). The metro-wide median is $1,480.
Five ZIP codes spaced across the metro show the whole ladder, from cheapest to most expensive:
| ZIP | County | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70086 | St. James Parish | $780 | $910 | $1,180 |
| 70052 | St. James Parish | $1,090 | $1,430 | $1,980 |
| 70058 | Jefferson Parish | $1,230 | $1,480 | $1,900 |
| 70185 | , | $1,270 | $1,530 | $1,960 |
| 70130 | Orleans Parish | $1,840 | $2,220 | $2,850 |
FY2026 to FY2027: The Change Effective October 1, 2026
HUD's metro-wide 2-bedroom FMR for New Orleans went up 11.2% from FY2026 to FY2027: $1,331 to $1,480. An increase widens what a voucher can cover, but only once the authority updates its payment standard; ask whether yours has adopted the FY2027 figures yet.
What You Actually Pay as a Tenant
Your share is generally 30% of your adjusted monthly income; the voucher covers the difference between that and the rent, up to the payment standard for your ZIP and bedroom size. Take a household earning $2,400 a month. Its share is about $720. In a ZIP where the 2-bedroom standard is $1,500, the voucher can cover up to $780 of the rent.
Practical consequence: in New Orleans, where you search changes what your voucher is worth more than almost any other decision. Two similar apartments on opposite sides of a ZIP boundary can differ by hundreds of dollars in approvable rent, while your own contribution stays pegged to your income.
New Orleans Landlords: What the Standard Means for You
The economics vary block to block. In ZIPs near the bottom of the table, the standard often matches what the unit would rent for unassisted, with the housing authority's portion arriving every month on schedule. In the higher-cost ZIPs, the ceiling is high enough that a voucher tenant competes with anyone. Either way the PHA runs a rent reasonableness check against comparable unassisted units before approving the lease.
Louisiana has no statewide source-of-income law, so a private landlord can legally decline a voucher here unless a local ordinance says otherwise. What a landlord cannot do is refuse on the basis of race, disability, familial status, or another federally protected trait.
If you own units in New Orleans, list them free on VoucherMatch and reach voucher holders searching by ZIP right now.
Who Administers Section 8 in New Orleans
Vouchers in the New Orleans metro area are administered by several authorities, and each sets its own payment standard inside HUD's band. The biggest ones:
- Housing Authority of New Orleans, (504) 670-3300, about 18,000 vouchers
- Parish of Jefferson, (504) 227-1454, about 5,000 vouchers
- Housing Authority of the City of Kenner, (504) 467-9166, about 1,400 vouchers
- St. Bernard Parish Government, (504) 278-4224, about 540 vouchers
- St. John the Baptist Parish Housing Authority, (985) 359-9037, about 420 vouchers
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a 2-bedroom Section 8 voucher worth in New Orleans in FY2027? It depends on the ZIP code: HUD's FY2027 Small Area FMRs for 2-bedrooms range from $1,210 (70148) to $2,220 (70130) across the 20 ZIPs in Orleans Parish, with a median around $1,500. Your PHA's payment standard is set from these figures.
Why does my voucher cover more in some neighborhoods than others? HUD publishes a Small Area FMR for every ZIP code in the metro alongside the single metro-wide FMR. Authorities that have adopted the ZIP-level figures pay different ceilings in different neighborhoods; ask yours which it uses.
Can a New Orleans landlord refuse my voucher? Under state law, yes: Louisiana has no statewide source-of-income protection, so a private landlord can decline a voucher unless a local ordinance forbids it. Refusal based on race, disability, familial status, or another federally protected trait is still illegal.
Do these numbers include utilities? The standards assume rent plus a utility allowance fit within the ceiling. If you pay utilities yourself, the approvable rent drops by the allowance for your unit size. The mechanics are the same ones we cover in our utility allowance guide, with New Orleans's own allowance schedules.
Where can I see the number for my exact ZIP? Our New Orleans Section 8 guide list payment data ZIP by ZIP, or check HUD's SAFMR lookup and confirm with your housing authority.
For the rest of the state, see our Louisiana Section 8 overview.
Have a voucher and looking in New Orleans? Browse voucher-friendly listings, filtered by ZIP and bedroom size.
Own property in the New Orleans metro area? List it free and reach tenants with guaranteed rent.
VoucherMatch Editorial Team
Every rule, date and dollar amount in this article is checked against the agency document it comes from, and the sources are listed above. How VoucherMatch articles are researched and corrected
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