Section 8 Rent Limits in Alaska for FY2027: Fair Market Rent for Every County
There is no single Section 8 rent limit for Alaska. HUD publishes one Fair Market Rent per county, 30 of them for FY2027, and the 2-bedroom figure stretches from $1,030 (Kusilvak Census Area) to $2,394 (Aleutians West Census Area). The median county is $1,504. Your housing authority's payment standard, the number that actually caps your lease, is set between 90% and 110% of the figure for your county.
Year over year, 24 of the 30 counties with figures in both years went up and 6 went down. Yakutat City and Borough had the biggest jump, $1,388 to $1,577 (+13.6%). Fairbanks North Star Borough took the biggest cut, $1,676 to $1,553 (-7.3%). No metro in Alaska is on HUD's mandatory Small Area FMR list, so these county figures are the base everywhere in the state unless a housing authority has opted into ZIP-level standards.
How the number becomes your rent limit. The FMR is HUD's estimate of the 40th-percentile gross rent (rent plus utilities) for a modest unit in the area. Your housing authority publishes a payment standard for each bedroom size, between 90% and 110% of the FMR. You pay roughly 30% of adjusted monthly income; the voucher covers the rest up to the payment standard. If the unit's gross rent is above the standard, you pay the difference, but a new lease cannot leave your share above 40% of income.
FY2027 Fair Market Rents by Metro Area in Alaska
HUD groups counties into FMR areas; a metro's figure applies to every county inside it. "ZIP-level" marks mandatory Small Area FMR metros.
| FMR area | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2 BR vs FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | $1,095 | $1,169 | $1,529 | $2,117 | $2,556 | -6.3% |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $1,081 | $1,187 | $1,553 | $2,150 | $2,596 | -7.3% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | $929 | $988 | $1,293 | $1,790 | $2,161 | -6.0% |
FY2027 Fair Market Rents for Every County in Alaska
All 30 counties, alphabetical. Studio figures are in the metro table above.
| County | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2 BR vs FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleutians East Borough | $1,286 | $1,400 | $1,668 | $2,301 | +1.1% |
| Aleutians West Census Area | $1,830 | $2,394 | $2,852 | $3,146 | +9.3% |
| Anchorage Municipality | $1,169 | $1,529 | $2,117 | $2,556 | -6.3% |
| Bethel Census Area | $1,811 | $1,971 | $2,348 | $2,590 | +1.7% |
| Bristol Bay Borough | $1,166 | $1,269 | $1,757 | $2,086 | +2.1% |
| Chugach Census Area | $1,447 | $1,575 | $2,181 | $2,589 | +4.6% |
| Copper River Census Area | $966 | $1,157 | $1,602 | $1,934 | +2.4% |
| Denali Borough | $976 | $1,220 | $1,689 | $2,005 | +2.8% |
| Dillingham Census Area | $1,190 | $1,295 | $1,793 | $2,128 | +3.8% |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | $1,187 | $1,553 | $2,150 | $2,596 | -7.3% |
| Haines Borough | $1,052 | $1,315 | $1,821 | $2,161 | -0.5% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | $1,197 | $1,566 | $1,866 | $2,574 | +7.3% |
| Juneau City and Borough | $1,381 | $1,807 | $2,379 | $2,889 | +2.8% |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | $1,063 | $1,390 | $1,925 | $2,323 | +5.9% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | $1,325 | $1,733 | $2,400 | $2,897 | +6.6% |
| Kodiak Island Borough | $1,712 | $2,239 | $2,716 | $2,943 | +7.9% |
| Kusilvak Census Area | $824 | $1,030 | $1,416 | $1,693 | +5.9% |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | $909 | $1,050 | $1,444 | $1,755 | +1.9% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | $988 | $1,293 | $1,790 | $2,161 | -6.0% |
| Nome Census Area | $1,385 | $1,638 | $2,268 | $2,692 | +6.8% |
| North Slope Borough | $1,373 | $1,521 | $2,090 | $2,542 | -6.4% |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | $1,651 | $2,005 | $2,389 | $2,635 | +3.9% |
| Petersburg Borough | $1,226 | $1,504 | $1,919 | $2,181 | +2.8% |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | $1,075 | $1,269 | $1,633 | $2,086 | +10.1% |
| Sitka City and Borough | $1,451 | $1,622 | $2,246 | $2,711 | +3.6% |
| Skagway Municipality | $1,427 | $1,611 | $2,231 | $2,648 | -2.0% |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | $1,219 | $1,327 | $1,837 | $2,181 | +1.1% |
| Wrangell City and Borough | $990 | $1,295 | $1,793 | $2,128 | +6.4% |
| Yakutat City and Borough | $1,262 | $1,577 | $1,879 | $2,592 | +13.6% |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | $958 | $1,196 | $1,656 | $1,966 | +6.2% |
Where the Limit Moved Most From FY2026 to FY2027
Biggest increases (2-bedroom):
| County | FY2026 | FY2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakutat City and Borough | $1,388 | $1,577 | +13.6% |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | $1,153 | $1,269 | +10.1% |
| Aleutians West Census Area | $2,191 | $2,394 | +9.3% |
| Kodiak Island Borough | $2,075 | $2,239 | +7.9% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | $1,460 | $1,566 | +7.3% |
Biggest cuts (2-bedroom):
| County | FY2026 | FY2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | $1,676 | $1,553 | -7.3% |
| North Slope Borough | $1,625 | $1,521 | -6.4% |
| Anchorage Municipality | $1,631 | $1,529 | -6.3% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | $1,376 | $1,293 | -6.0% |
| Skagway Municipality | $1,644 | $1,611 | -2.0% |
HUD caps a one-year decrease at 10%, so a county showing exactly -10.0% hit the floor. A lower FMR does not change an existing lease; it narrows the band for new leases and rent increases, and a reduced payment standard reaches a family already housed only at its second annual reexamination after the change.
The Largest Housing Authorities in Alaska
Which authority issued your voucher decides which payment standard applies. The biggest programs in the state:
- Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (Anchorage), about 5,000 vouchers, (907) 338-8432
Can a Landlord Refuse a Voucher in Alaska?
Yes, in most of the state. Alaska has no statewide source-of-income protection, so a landlord can decline a voucher unless a local ordinance says otherwise. Refusal based on race, disability, familial status, or another federally protected trait is still illegal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Section 8 pay in Alaska? It depends on the county. HUD's FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent runs from $1,030 in Kusilvak Census Area to $2,394 in Aleutians West Census Area, with a median county of $1,504. Your housing authority's payment standard is 90% to 110% of the figure for your county, and the voucher pays that standard minus about 30% of your adjusted income.
Which Alaska county has the highest Section 8 rent limit? Aleutians West Census Area, at $2,394 for a 2-bedroom ($2,852 for a 3-bedroom) in FY2027. The lowest is Kusilvak Census Area at $1,030.
Did Section 8 rent limits go up in Alaska for FY2027? Mostly yes: the 2-bedroom figure rose in 24 counties, fell in 6, and held in 0. The biggest increase was Yakutat City and Borough (+13.6%). The biggest cut was Fairbanks North Star Borough (-7.3%).
Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Alaska? Yes, in most of the state. Alaska has no statewide source-of-income protection, so a landlord can decline a voucher unless a local ordinance says otherwise. Refusal based on race, disability, familial status, or another federally protected trait is still illegal.
Where is my housing authority's actual payment standard? On the authority's website, usually a one-page PDF updated each fall, or by calling its Housing Choice Voucher office. The largest Alaska authorities are listed above with phone numbers.
See also our Alaska Section 8 overview; the national 2-bedroom table for the 40 largest metros; HUD's FY2027 FMR dataset.
Holding a voucher in Alaska? Browse voucher-friendly listings by ZIP code and bedroom size.
Alaska landlord? List your property free. The table above is what a voucher tenant's authority can pay.
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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