GovCalculator

Chautauqua County, NY

Chautauqua County publishes a two-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $975 a month, 28.3% below the New York county-record median of $1,360.50 and 59th of the state's 62 records. It is the only New York county at that figure — in a dataset where a single value routinely covers dozens of records, an untied rank is itself uncommon.

The more consequential number is further down the bedroom table. A three-bedroom unit is $1,287 and a four-bedroom is $1,291 — a difference of four dollars a month. Across the corpus the typical step from three bedrooms to four is about 12%; here it is 0.3%.

Key HUD figures for Chautauqua County, NY

HUD area: Chautauqua County, NY

Fair Market Rent (2BR)
$975

per month

HUD Median Family Income
$78,900

area median family income, per year

Very Low Income (50%) — 4-person
$44,950

annual household limit

Low Income (80%) — 4-person
$71,900

annual household limit

HUD Year
2026

income limits

FMR Year
2026

fair market rents

Compare HUD Median Family Income

The schedule stops moving after three bedrooms

FY2026 HUD Fair Market Rents applicable to Chautauqua County, NY, published for the Chautauqua County, NY area. Annualized figures are 12 × the monthly rent.
Unit sizeMonthly FMRAnnualized FMR
Studio / efficiency$680$8,160
1 bedroom$754$9,048
2 bedrooms(reference benchmark)$975$11,700
3 bedrooms$1,287$15,444
4 bedrooms$1,291$15,492

Compare 2BR Fair Market Rent

Why the four-bedroom figure barely differs from the three-bedroom

The lower part of this schedule behaves normally: $680 for a studio, $754 for a one-bedroom, $975 for two, then a $312 jump to $1,287 for three. Then it stops. The four-bedroom figure is $1,291, a step of 1.003x where the median record across the corpus steps up by 1.124x.

Measured across all 4,764 records this is the 29th smallest three-to-four-bedroom step in the dataset. The flattest is San Juan County, Washington, where the two figures differ by a single dollar. For a household of five or six the practical reading is that moving from a three-bedroom to a four-bedroom unit does not meaningfully change the payment standard the rent is measured against here — which is not true in most of the country.

HUD income limits by household size

FY2026 HUD income limits applicable to Chautauqua County, NY, published for the Chautauqua County, NY area, in annual US dollars by household size.
Income limit category1 person2 persons3 persons4 persons5 persons6 persons7 persons8 persons
Extremely Low Income$18,900$21,640$27,320$33,000$38,680$44,360$50,040$55,720
Very Low Income (50%)$31,500$36,000$40,500$44,950$48,550$52,150$55,750$59,350
Low Income (80%)$50,350$57,550$64,750$71,900$77,700$83,450$89,200$94,950

These are HUD income limits for the Chautauqua County, NY area. They are thresholds published by HUD, not an eligibility determination: individual programs apply their own rules, and adjusted-income definitions (deductions, allowances, and which household members count) can change whether a given household qualifies.

Near the floor of the second most stretched state in the country

Applicable HUD 2BR FMR
$975
Median 2BR FMR across county records in NY
$1,361
Difference
-$386
Difference (%)
-28.3%
Rank in state
59 of 62

The two-bedroom Fair Market Rent applicable to Chautauqua County is below the state median for NY. It ranks 59 of 62 county records by 2BR FMR.

Rank 1 is the highest 2BR FMR in the state, and county records with an identical rent share a rank. “Approximately at the state median” means within 2% of it. The median is taken across the 62 county records published for NY — it is not weighted by households or population, and it is not a median over unique HUD areas, so a HUD area covering several counties counts once per county record.

Rank 59 of 62 means something different in New York

New York's county records run from $973 to $2,910 — a spread of 2.99 times, the widest of any state with at least twenty records except California, where the range is 3.80 times. Florida, Washington and Colorado all sit around 2.55. A low rank in New York therefore places a record much further from the state median than the same rank would elsewhere.

Chautauqua is two dollars above the New York floor of $973, which Chenango County shares with Wyoming County. Chenango is the useful comparison because it inverts the pair: a slightly lower rent than Chautauqua against a higher area income of $83,500, giving a 14.0% benchmark against this page's 14.8%.

That is the qualification worth carrying away. Chautauqua's HUD Median Family Income of $78,900 ranks 60th of New York's 62 records, so the rent is low and the income is low together. The benchmark that results, 14.8%, is only the 12th lowest in the state — a low rent does not by itself produce a low share of area income.

Rent benchmark vs HUD Median Family Income

Annualized 2BR FMR
$11,700

12 × $975

HUD Median Family Income (annual)
$78,900
Annualized 2BR FMR as a share of HUD Median Family Income
14.8%

This is a ratio between two HUD benchmarks for the Chautauqua County, NY area: the annualized two-bedroom Fair Market Rent divided by HUD Median Family Income. It is not a measured rent burden, not the share of income any particular family spends on housing, and not an affordability or eligibility determination.

Compare FMR-to-MFI benchmark

HUD area for this county

HUD area name
Chautauqua County, NY
HUD area code
NCNTY36013N36013
Income limits fiscal year
FY2026
Fair Market Rent fiscal year
FY2026

HUD income limits and Fair Market Rents apply to HUD-defined areas that can cover multiple geographic entities. The values on this page are those assigned to this HUD entity record; entities sharing the same HUD area can have identical figures.

National economic context

The figures below are federal and national. They are not specific to Chautauqua County and do not vary between counties.

Inflation (official BLS CPI-U national series)

Loading chart…

Fonte Dati: bls.govBLS CPI-U CUUR0000SA0

Mostra Dati in Tabella
Date (YYYY-MM)YearPeriodValue
2023-072023M07305.691
2023-082023M08307.026
2023-092023M09307.789
2023-102023M10307.671
2023-112023M11307.051
2023-122023M12306.746
2024-012024M01308.417
2024-022024M02310.326
2024-032024M03312.332
2024-042024M04313.548
2024-052024M05314.069
2024-062024M06314.175
2024-072024M07314.54
2024-082024M08314.796
2024-092024M09315.301
2024-102024M10315.664
2024-112024M11315.493
2024-122024M12315.605
2025-012025M01317.671
2025-022025M02319.082
2025-032025M03319.799
2025-042025M04320.795
2025-052025M05321.465
2025-062025M06322.561
2025-072025M07323.048
2025-082025M08323.976
2025-092025M09324.8
2025-112025M11324.122
2025-122025M12324.054
2026-012026M01325.252
2026-022026M02326.785
2026-032026M03330.213
2026-042026M04333.02
2026-052026M05335.123
2026-062026M06333.952
2026-072026M07333.918

Purchasing power decision engine

Decision snapshot (server-rendered)

Baseline: HUD Median Family Income adjusted from 2025-07 to 2026-07 using embedded CPI-U monthly series.

Inflation-adjusted HUD Median Family Income
$81,555
Change: $2,655 (3.4%)
Purchasing power status
AT_RISK
  • Adjusted income is near the local median and/or purchasing power decreased materially.
  • This suggests moderate affordability risk under CPI-U adjustment assumptions.
Target income for “STABLE”
$86,790
Gap from adjusted: $5,235
Uses a fixed +10% buffer over the local HUD Median Family Income (v1.0). The buffer is a GovCalculator heuristic, not a government threshold.

Purchasing power decision tool (CPI-U monthly)

This module converts an annual income from 2025-07 into its 2026-07 equivalent using the CPI-U series, then compares it to the HUD Median Family Income for Chautauqua County, NY.

The baseline is HUD's Median Family Income for the HUD area, not a Census median household income. The CPI-U series is the official BLS CUUR0000SA0 index, unadjusted; months BLS did not publish are left out rather than interpolated.

HUD Median Family Income (annual): $78,900

Use annual income to align with HUD Median Family Income, which is an annual HUD area benchmark.

Decision output

Inflation-adjusted income
$81,555
Change: $2,655 (3.4%)
Position vs HUD Median Family Income
ABOVE MEDIAN
Gap: $2,655 (3.4%)
Purchasing power status
AT_RISK
  • Adjusted income is near the local median and/or purchasing power decreased materially.
  • This suggests moderate affordability risk under CPI-U adjustment assumptions.
Target income for “STABLE”
$86,790
Gap from adjusted income: $5,235
Uses a fixed +10% buffer over HUD Median Family Income (v1.0).
Methodology & assumptions (v1.0)

Adjusted income is computed as Income × CPI(to) / CPI(from) using CPI-U monthly index values embedded in this page.

  • CPI-U is an aggregate price index for urban consumers; individual consumption patterns may differ.
  • No interpolation is applied; both selected months must exist in the dataset.
  • HUD Median Family Income is treated as the annual reference benchmark for the applicable HUD area, compared to adjusted annual income.
  • This module performs a historical transformation, not a forecast.

IRS reference

Publication 15-T (2026) — Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods. Official IRS publication →

Reference only. GovCalculator does not compute federal income tax withholding. The publication's withholding methods and tables are not ingested or modelled here.

Sources & methodology

HUD income limits and Fair Market Rents are taken from the fiscal-year tables HUD publishes per HUD-defined area — which can include more than one county — and joined to this county record. State comparisons are computed across the 2BR Fair Market Rents of the county records in the same state; the median uses the middle value and is not weighted by households or population, rank 1 is the highest rent in the state, and county records with identical rents share a rank.

The income figure used throughout this page is HUD's Median Family Income for the HUD area above. It is not a Census median household income and the two are not interchangeable.

The CPI-U series is the official BLS CUUR0000SA0 index, not seasonally adjusted, taken from the published BLS series: 36 published monthly observations. Months BLS did not publish are not interpolated. IRS Publication 15-T is cited as an official reference only — no federal withholding is calculated anywhere on this site.

Verify eligibility requirements with local program administrators: household size, deductions, and program-specific definitions can materially change outcomes.

FAQ

Which HUD area do the figures for Chautauqua County, NY come from?

HUD assigns this county to the Chautauqua County, NY area (code NCNTY36013N36013). A HUD area can cover more than one county, so the area name is not always identical to the county name.

Which fiscal years are shown on this page?

Income limits are FY2026 and Fair Market Rents are FY2026.

What is the Fair Market Rent (2BR) here?

The two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $975 per month. Fair Market Rents for studio through four-bedroom units are listed in the bedroom table above.

Do the income limits on this page decide whether I qualify?

No. They are the thresholds HUD publishes for this area. Programs apply their own rules, and adjusted-income definitions — deductions, allowances, and which household members count — can change the outcome for a given household.

What does the FMR-to-median-family-income share mean?

It is the annualized two-bedroom Fair Market Rent divided by HUD Median Family Income for the same area, here 14.8%. Both inputs are HUD area benchmarks, so it is not a measured rent burden and not an affordability determination.

How does Chautauqua County rank within NY?

Its applicable two-bedroom Fair Market Rent ranks 59 of 62 county records in NY. Rank 1 is the highest rent in the state and county records with identical rents share a rank. That places it below the state median.

Is the CPI-based purchasing power module a forecast?

No. It is a historical adjustment using CPI-U monthly index values: Adjusted = Income × CPI(to) / CPI(from). It does not predict future inflation.

Does this page calculate federal income tax withholding?

No. GovCalculator does not compute federal withholding anywhere. IRS Publication 15-T is cited as an official reference only; its withholding methods and tables are not ingested or modelled here.

Is the four-bedroom Fair Market Rent really only $4 above the three-bedroom?

Yes — $1,287 for three bedrooms and $1,291 for four. It is the 29th smallest step of that kind among the 4,764 records on this site, where the median record adds about 12% moving from three bedrooms to four. The rest of the schedule is ordinary: $680, $754, $975 and $1,287 for studio through three bedrooms. Only the top of the ladder is flat.

Who administers Housing Choice Vouchers in Chautauqua County?

New York State Homes and Community Renewal runs a statewide Housing Choice Voucher program delivered outside New York City through local administering organizations listed county by county, while administering directly in New York City through its Subsidy Services Bureau (hcr.ny.gov, accessed 19 August 2026). Check HCR's county list for the organization covering Chautauqua. The income limits on this page are HUD's for the area; the administering organization applies its own waiting-list and adjusted-income rules.

Disclaimer: Estimates are informational and may not reflect every program rule or household adjustment. Always consult official guidance for Chautauqua County, NY.