A method and apparatus for maintaining a target bit rate in a speech coder includes a speech coder for encoding a frame at a preselected encoding rate, computing a running average bit rate for a predefined number of encoded frames, subtracting the running average bit rate from a predefined target average bit rate, and dividing the difference by the preselected encoding rate. If the quotient value is negative, a predefined number of possible occurrence counts of speech coder performance threshold values that are less than a current performance threshold value is accumulated, the accumulated number being greater than the absolute value of the quotient. The product of a decrement-per-occurrence-count-value and the predefined number of occurrence counts is subtracted from the current performance threshold value to obtain a new performance threshold value. If the quotient value is positive, a predefined number of possible occurrence counts of speech coder performance threshold values that are greater than the current performance threshold value is accumulated, the accumulated number being greater than the quotient. The product of an increment-per-occurrence-count-value and the predefined number of occurrence counts is added to the current performance threshold value to obtain a new performance.