Military BAHRATES

BAH 2025 → 2026

How BAH changed in 2026

Averaged over every pay grade, 2026 with-dependents BAH is 4.1% higher than 2025 in the typical military housing area. Rates rose in 266 of 299 areas and fell in 31; members who stay put keep their 2025 rate under rate protection.

+4.1%
Mean change across areas
266
Areas with higher rates
31
Areas with lower rates
+14.4%
Largest rise (Outer Banks, NC)

Distribution of 2026 changes

Number of housing areas by average change in with-dependents BAH

050-6% to -4%: 3 areas-6%-4% to -2%: 9 areas-4%-2% to 0%: 20 areas-2%0% to 2%: 42 areas0%2% to 4%: 63 areas+2%4% to 6%: 84 areas+4%6% to 8%: 42 areas+6%8% to 10%: 21 areas+8%10% to 12%: 13 areas+10%12% to 14%: 1 areas+12%14% to 16%: 1 areas+14%
050-6% to -4%: 3 areas-6%-4% to -2%: 9 areas-2% to 0%: 20 areas-2%0% to 2%: 42 areas2% to 4%: 63 areas+2%4% to 6%: 84 areas6% to 8%: 42 areas+6%8% to 10%: 21 areas10% to 12%: 13 areas+10%12% to 14%: 1 areas14% to 16%: 1 areas+14%
Source: DTMO 2025 and 2026 BAH files, 1 January rates (Abilene's May 2026 temporary increase excluded).

Largest increases

Housing areaE-5 2025E-5 2026Avg change
Outer Banks, NC$2,292$2,604+14.4%
Terre Haute, IN$1,377$1,494+13.2%
Fargo, ND$1,509$1,707+11.9%
Frankfort, KY$1,233$1,410+11.3%
Sitka, AK$2,949$3,210+11.2%
Madison, WI$2,373$2,655+11.1%
College Station, TX$1,716$1,758+11.1%
Birmingham, AL$2,106$2,439+11.1%
West Point, NY$3,111$3,468+10.9%
Juneau, AK$3,015$3,354+10.9%
Fort Leonard Wood, MO$1,311$1,479+10.7%
Grand Forks, ND$1,587$1,731+10.7%

Largest decreases

Housing areaE-5 2025E-5 2026Avg change
Austin, TX$2,343$2,241−5.5%
Brownsville, TX$1,623$1,503−5.0%
Phoenix, AZ$2,391$2,289−4.5%
Springfield/Decatur, IL$1,515$1,527−3.5%
Twentynine Palms MCB, CA$2,055$1,980−3.4%
Boise, ID$2,016$1,926−3.0%
San Antonio, TX$1,935$1,869−2.5%
Lafayette, LA$1,656$1,584−2.4%
Dallas, TX$2,529$2,469−2.3%
Mountain Home AFB, ID$1,674$1,605−2.3%
Jacksonville, FL$2,226$2,181−2.1%
Beaufort/Parris Island, SC$2,448$2,403−2.0%

Median change by pay grade

Median monthly rate across housing areas.

Grade2025 median2026 medianChange (with)Change (without)
E-1$1,935$1,947+3.8%+4.5%
E-2$1,935$1,947+3.8%+4.5%
E-3$1,935$1,947+3.8%+4.5%
E-4$1,935$1,947+3.8%+4.5%
E-5$2,070$2,118+3.7%+4.0%
E-6$2,319$2,403+4.0%+3.6%
E-7$2,406$2,487+4.3%+3.9%
E-8$2,472$2,553+4.4%+4.0%
E-9$2,598$2,679+4.4%+4.1%
W-1$2,340$2,421+4.0%+3.5%
W-2$2,445$2,517+4.3%+4.1%
W-3$2,505$2,601+4.3%+4.1%
W-4$2,634$2,706+4.2%+4.1%
W-5$2,757$2,841+4.1%+4.3%
O-1E$2,421$2,502+4.4%+3.9%
O-2E$2,493$2,586+4.3%+4.1%
O-3E$2,655$2,724+4.3%+4.0%
O-1$2,118$2,160+3.9%+3.6%
O-2$2,316$2,400+4.0%+3.9%
O-3$2,502$2,598+4.4%+4.1%
O-4$2,808$2,904+4.0%+4.2%
O-5$3,009$3,096+4.0%+4.3%
O-6$3,036$3,120+3.9%+4.3%
O-7+$3,057$3,141+3.8%+4.2%

Average change by year

Mean across housing areas of the average with-dependents change.

2022 → 2023+12.6%
2023 → 2024+5.5%
2024 → 2025+5.3%
2025 → 2026+4.1%

Rate protection

A lower published rate does not cut anyone's pay mid-tour. DTMO's BAH primer: members "are entitled to the BAH rates published 1 January or the amount of housing allowance they received on 31 December, whichever is larger," as long as they do not make a PCS move, drop in pay grade or change dependency status. A promotion does not end protection.

When 2027 rates come out →

Sources

  1. Defense Travel Management Office, BAH rates, all locations and all pay grades, 2026 (ASCII files), BAH Rate Lookup. Downloaded 2026-10-08.
  2. DTMO, 2025 and earlier rate files (same page), used for year-over-year change.