How per diem rates changed from FY 2021 to FY 2027
Between FY 2021 and FY 2027 the standard lodging rate rose from $96 to $113 (17.7%), and standard M&IE from $55 to $68 (23.6%). Over the same years the number of non-standard areas fell from 319 to 295. Among the 293 areas listed in all seven years, the median full-year average lodging cap rose 17.2%.
The standard rate, year by year
| Fiscal year | Standard lodging | Standard M&IE | Standard total | Non-standard areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2021 | $96 | $55 | $151 | 319 |
| FY 2022 | $96 | $59 | $155 | 319 |
| FY 2023 | $98 | $59 | $157 | 316 |
| FY 2024 | $107 | $59 | $166 | 302 |
| FY 2025 | $110 | $68 | $178 | 296 |
| FY 2026 | $110 | $68 | $178 | 296 |
| FY 2027 | $113 | $68 | $181 | 295 |
Two steps stand out. The standard lodging rate jumped by $9 in FY 2024, and M&IE moved from $59 to $68 in FY 2025, when GSA also raised every M&IE tier. GSA’s FY 2027 highlights note that the tiers were not revised again this year and are due for review in FY 2028.
A year with no change
FY 2026 is unusual: in GSA’s file, every area has exactly the same monthly lodging caps and M&IE as in FY 2025, and the standard rate stayed at $110. A change “from FY 2026” to FY 2027 on this site therefore covers two years of movement. The median area rose 4.2% between the two files, and 12 areas did not change at all.
Fewer areas above the standard
As the standard rate rose, areas whose caps were only slightly higher dropped back to it. From 319 areas in FY 2021, the list shrank most in FY 2024 (316 to 302). For FY 2027, Allentown / Easton / Bethlehem (PA) returned to the standard rate. Each state page lists the areas that have left its list since FY 2021.
By state, the losses are concentrated: Ohio (10 to 6), Texas (15 to 11), Wisconsin (6 to 3) and Indiana (5 to 3) lost the most areas between FY 2021 and FY 2027. Alabama has more areas now than in FY 2021.
Lodging and meals since FY 2021
Meals moved in bigger steps than lodging. Across the 293 areas listed in every year, the median M&IE rose 21.3% between FY 2021 and FY 2027, while the median full-year lodging average rose 17.2%. The standard rate shows the same pattern: M&IE up 23.6%, lodging up 17.7%.
Year by year, area by area
Counting the areas that moved in each file shows when the changes happened.
| File | Areas up | Unchanged | Areas down | Median change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2022 | 0 | 293 | 0 | 0% |
| FY 2023 | 155 | 138 | 0 | 1.3% |
| FY 2024 | 232 | 56 | 5 | 5.1% |
| FY 2025 | 186 | 10 | 99 | 1.7% |
| FY 2026 | 0 | 295 | 0 | 0% |
| FY 2027 | 283 | 12 | 0 | 4.2% |
The broadest rise came in FY 2027, when 283 of 295 areas went up and the median change was 4.2%. Cuts were most common in FY 2025 (99 areas). In FY 2024, the year the standard lodging rate rose by $9, 232 areas went up and 5 went down. FY 2022 and FY 2026 show no movement at all, the two frozen years.
Meal rates moved on a different calendar. The M&IE of an area changed in FY 2022 (293 of 293 areas) and FY 2025 (291 of 295 areas), and in no other file. Lodging caps, by contrast, moved in every year that was not frozen. Over the whole span the standard daily total went from $151 in FY 2021 to $181 in FY 2027, an increase of 19.9%.
Who rose, who fell
| Area | State | FY 2021 average | FY 2027 average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Valley / Ketchum | ID | $118 | $264 | +123.7% |
| Steamboat Springs | CO | $116 | $206 | +76.5% |
| Manchester | VT | $111 | $189 | +69.4% |
| South Lake Tahoe | CA | $128 | $214 | +67.9% |
| Park City | UT | $191 | $317 | +66.3% |
| Albuquerque | NM | $111 | $181 | +63% |
| Montrose | CO | $103 | $164 | +60.3% |
| Tucson | AZ | $105 | $167 | +59.2% |
| Midland / Odessa | TX | $183 | $136 | -25.7% |
| Carlsbad | NM | $212 | $164 | -22.6% |
| Oakland | CA | $189 | $152 | -19.6% |
| Sunnyvale / Palo Alto / San Jose | CA | $245 | $218 | -11% |
| Antioch / Brentwood / Concord | CA | $165 | $147 | -10.9% |
| San Mateo / Foster City / Belmont | CA | $222 | $200 | -10% |
| Panama City | FL | $151 | $137 | -9.2% |
| Telluride | CO | $270 | $246 | -9% |
The largest rises are concentrated in mountain resorts and in Sun Belt and Western cities: Sun Valley / Ketchum more than doubled its full-year average, from $118 to $264. Falls are rare. Only 21 of the 293 areas are lower than in FY 2021, among them Midland / Odessa, Carlsbad and several Bay Area areas including San Francisco.
Seasons that came and went
The shape of the year changes too. Of the areas listed in every year, 16 had one cap in FY 2021 and have seasons now, including San Mateo / Foster City / Belmont, Atlanta and Boise. Going the other way, 24 areas that had seasons in FY 2021 now keep one cap all year, among them Santa Monica, Nashville and Los Angeles.
The years without change are worth knowing when reading the charts. In FY 2022 and FY 2026, GSA’s file repeats the previous year’s monthly caps for every area, so the seven-year line on each destination page is flat across those years. GSA publishes the next fiscal year’s rates before October 1, and this site is rebuilt from the new file each October.
Seasonal areas can also shift their calendar, not only their caps; the seven-year chart on each destination page uses the full-year average so that years with different season dates stay comparable. The method page explains how renamed areas are matched across files.
Sources: U.S. General Services Administration, per diem rate files FY 2021 to FY 2027, and GSA FY 2027 per diem highlights; figures computed by Per Diem Rates. See reading the rates for how each measure is defined.