Lowell, MA: 2-bedroom payment standards across 26 ZIP codes
HUD's FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents for Lowell, MA HUD Metro FMR Area range from $2,160 to $3,480 for a 2-bedroom. The 90th-percentile ZIP code runs 1.47× the 10th — a gap of $1,050 a month — which ranks 70th widest of the 247 HUD metro areas we compare.
median 2-bedroom SAFMR across the area's 26 ZIP codes. Where a housing authority sets a single metro-wide standard, it could reach $2,816 at 110%.
monthly gap between the 90th- and 10th-percentile ZIP code ($2,240 to $3,290).
of the area's ZIP codes (12 of 26) sit above $2,816 — 110% of the area median.
Highest-rent ZIP codes in Lowell, MA
Every ZIP code, ranked
The payment-standard column is HUD's published 90–110% band for that ZIP code — the range a housing authority may adopt without HUD approval. Your PHA sets the exact figure. The final column compares each ZIP to the area median; ZIP codes marked above 110% exceed 110% of that median — where a housing authority sets a single area-wide standard, those sit above the highest ceiling basic policy reaches.
| # | ZIP code | 2 BR SAFMR ▾ | Payment standard (90–110%) | vs area median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01887 | $3,480 | $3,132–$3,828 | above 110% |
| 2 | 01886 | $3,450 | $3,105–$3,795 | above 110% |
| 3 | 01730 | $3,330 | $2,997–$3,663 | above 110% |
| 4 | 01876 | $3,250 | $2,925–$3,575 | above 110% |
| 5 | 01472 | $2,960 | $2,664–$3,256 | above 110% |
| 6 | 01822 | $2,960 | $2,664–$3,256 | above 110% |
| 7 | 01853 | $2,960 | $2,664–$3,256 | above 110% |
| 8 | 01865 | $2,960 | $2,664–$3,256 | above 110% |
| 9 | 01866 | $2,960 | $2,664–$3,256 | above 110% |
| 10 | 01810 | $2,940 | $2,646–$3,234 | above 110% |
| 11 | 01821 | $2,940 | $2,646–$3,234 | above 110% |
| 12 | 01824 | $2,900 | $2,610–$3,190 | above 110% |
| 13 | 01432 | $2,560 | $2,304–$2,816 | 100% |
| 14 | 01450 | $2,560 | $2,304–$2,816 | 100% |
| 15 | 01460 | $2,560 | $2,304–$2,816 | 100% |
| 16 | 01463 | $2,560 | $2,304–$2,816 | 100% |
| 17 | 01741 | $2,560 | $2,304–$2,816 | 100% |
| 18 | 01879 | $2,550 | $2,295–$2,805 | 100% |
| 19 | 01862 | $2,470 | $2,223–$2,717 | 96% |
| 20 | 01827 | $2,380 | $2,142–$2,618 | 93% |
| 21 | 01826 | $2,330 | $2,097–$2,563 | 91% |
| 22 | 01851 | $2,270 | $2,043–$2,497 | 89% |
| 23 | 01854 | $2,250 | $2,025–$2,475 | 88% |
| 24 | 01863 | $2,230 | $2,007–$2,453 | 87% |
| 25 | 01850 | $2,170 | $1,953–$2,387 | 85% |
| 26 | 01852 | $2,160 | $1,944–$2,376 | 84% |
How Lowell, MA compares
Its internal spread of 1.47× (p90 ÷ p10) ranks 70 of 247 HUD metro FMR areas, against a median of 1.37× and a national high of 1.77×. On the steadier p75 ÷ p25 measure it is 1.23×. See the full ranking and how it was measured →
A note on what this does not mean: a higher payment standard does not increase the assistance a household receives. It raises the ceiling on the rent a voucher can cover, while the household still pays roughly 30% of adjusted income. Figures are ZIP-weighted, not renter-weighted, and rest on 2019–2023 American Community Survey data trended forward.