How Much Does Section 8 Pay in Omaha? (FY2027 Payment Standards by ZIP)
There is no single Section 8 rent number for Omaha, and anyone who quotes one is skipping the most important fact about the program here: the Omaha metro area is a mandatory Small Area FMR metro, which means the subsidy ceiling is set ZIP code by ZIP code. For a 2-bedroom in FY2027, HUD's Small Area Fair Market Rents across the 35 ZIP codes in Douglas County run from $1,180 in ZIP 68178 to $2,180 in ZIP 68142, a gap of roughly half again.
Below: the full spread by bedroom size, what your share of the rent actually is, who runs the program in Omaha, and what landlords here should know.
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The FY2027 Numbers: Low ZIP vs. High ZIP
Two ZIP codes at opposite ends of Douglas County show how far the FY2027 figures move:
| Bedrooms | ZIP 68178 | ZIP 68142 |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $950 | $1,760 |
| 1 BR | $990 | $1,830 |
| 2 BR | $1,180 | $2,180 |
| 3 BR | $1,570 | $2,890 |
| 4 BR | $1,770 | $3,280 |
Split the 35 ZIP codes in Douglas County down the middle and the median 2-bedroom figure is $1,470, at ZIP 68112. For reference, HUD's metro-wide FMR for the Omaha, NE-IA area is $1,450 for a 2-bedroom, which is roughly what every ZIP would get if the metro weren't a Small Area FMR area.
Treat these as the starting point, not the final word. A payment standard is set by each housing authority, usually somewhere between 90% and 110% of HUD's figure, and it can differ by authority inside the same metro. Check the number for your ZIP and bedroom size with the PHA that issued your voucher. Our Omaha Section 8 guide list the ZIP-level data, and HUD's SAFMR dataset is the primary source.
Beyond Douglas County: The Whole Metro
The Omaha, NE-IA area takes in 143 ZIP codes in the FY2027 data, and the range widens once you leave Douglas County: the 2-bedroom figure runs from $1,010 in ZIP 51525 (Pottawattamie County) to $2,180 in ZIP 68142 (Douglas County), with a metro-wide median of $1,270.
To see the full ladder rather than just the two ends, here are five ZIPs spread evenly across the 143 in the metro:
| ZIP | County | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51525 | Pottawattamie County | $850 | $1,010 | $1,360 |
| 68033 | Saunders County | $980 | $1,120 | $1,500 |
| 68111 | Douglas County | $1,070 | $1,270 | $1,680 |
| 68183 | Douglas County | $1,230 | $1,460 | $1,940 |
| 68142 | Douglas County | $1,830 | $2,180 | $2,890 |
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FY2026 to FY2027: The Change Effective October 1, 2026
HUD's metro-wide 2-bedroom FMR for Omaha went up 6.0% from FY2026 to FY2027: $1,368 to $1,450. Across the 133 ZIP codes HUD published in both years, the 2-bedroom figure rose in 128 and fell in 4, holding in 1. The steepest cut was ZIP 51561, $1,320 to $1,190; the biggest increase was ZIP 68056, $1,240 to $1,600. Higher FMRs give the housing authority room to raise its payment standard, which usually shows up in approvable rents a few months after the fiscal year starts on October 1.
What You Actually Pay as a Tenant
The formula is the same everywhere in the country: you pay roughly 30% of adjusted monthly income, and the housing assistance payment fills the gap up to the standard for your ZIP and unit size. A household bringing in $2,400 a month pays about $720; at the median 2-bedroom figure for Douglas County of $1,470, the authority covers up to $750.
The ZIP-based system exists to let voucher holders reach higher-cost neighborhoods: a voucher that only stretches to $1,180 in one ZIP is worth $2,180 in another, and your own payment doesn't move with it. If a landlord asks for more than the standard, you can sometimes pay the difference yourself, but the authority caps your total share at 40% of income at move-in.
Omaha Landlords: What the Standard Means for You
A voucher tenancy in Omaha means the authority pays its share directly every month, the unit passes an inspection up front, and turnover is typically lower than market-rate. Where the ZIP-level standard is close to market rent, that stability is the whole pitch; where the standard runs below market, you can still list and let the PHA's rent reasonableness review decide.
Nebraska 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.
Own rentals in the Omaha metro area? List them free on VoucherMatch; tenants here search by ZIP code and voucher type.
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Who Administers Section 8 in Omaha
Which authority runs your voucher determines your paperwork, your inspections, and the exact payment standard applied. The largest programs in the Omaha metro area:
- Omaha Housing Authority, (402) 444-6900, about 5,500 vouchers
- Douglas County Housing Authority, (402) 444-6203, about 1,400 vouchers
- Municipal Housing Agency of Council Bluffs, (712) 322-1491, about 780 vouchers
- Bellevue Housing Authority, (402) 734-5448, about 350 vouchers
- Fremont Housing Authority, (402) 727-4848, about 170 vouchers
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a 2-bedroom Section 8 voucher worth in Omaha in FY2027? It depends on the ZIP code: HUD's FY2027 Small Area FMRs for 2-bedrooms range from $1,180 (68178) to $2,180 (68142) across the 35 ZIPs in Douglas County, with a median around $1,470. Your PHA's payment standard is set from these figures.
Why does my voucher cover more in some neighborhoods than others? The Omaha metro area is a mandatory Small Area FMR metro, so HUD publishes a separate FMR for every ZIP code instead of one metro-wide number. The ceiling moves with local rents.
Can a Omaha landlord refuse my voucher? Under state law, yes: Nebraska 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 Omaha's own allowance schedules.
Where can I see the number for my exact ZIP? Our Omaha 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 Nebraska Section 8 overview.
Searching in Omaha with a voucher? Browse voucher-friendly listings from landlords who want your business.
Omaha landlord? List your property free. In much of the metro, the voucher pays at or close to market.
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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