How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Blue Earth County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,107 to $1,353. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Does Blue Earth County have its own Fair Market Rent?

No. It uses the Mankato metro rate, shared with one other county. HUD sets one FMR for the whole metro area, so Blue Earth gets the same $1,230 two-bedroom figure as Nicollet County.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Blue Earth County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Blue Earth those run from $1,060 to $1,670 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Blue Earth County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Minnesota figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in Blue Earth County, Minnesota (FY 2027)

A two-bedroom in Blue Earth County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,230 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Blue Earth keys off that figure.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,230

+5.0% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,107–$1,353

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$49,200

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Minnesota

20th of 87

by two-bedroom FMR, highest first

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.

Bedrooms	FMR	Payment standard	Income needed	Hourly wage	vs FY 2026
Studio	$1,016	$914–$1,118	$40,640	$19.54/hr	+4.6%
1 bedroom	$1,023	$921–$1,125	$40,920	$19.67/hr	+4.7%
2 bedroom	$1,230	$1,107–$1,353	$49,200	$23.65/hr	+5.0%
3 bedroom	$1,703	$1,533–$1,873	$68,120	$32.75/hr	+4.5%
4 bedroom	$1,744	$1,570–$1,918	$69,760	$33.54/hr	-9.0%

Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)

HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.

Bedrooms	Estimated FMR	Payment standard
5 bedroom Estimate	$2,006	$1,805–$2,207
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,267	$2,040–$2,494
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,529	$2,276–$2,782
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,790	$2,511–$3,069

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Blue Earth actually rent for?

Search any address in Blue Earth for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.

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What a voucher pays here

The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Blue Earth somewhere between $1,107 and $1,353. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.

$1,230 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $49,200 a year. Put another way, $24 an hour full time.

Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.

Monthly household income	Tenant pays (30%)	Voucher pays at 90%$1,107	Voucher pays at 100%$1,230	Voucher pays at 110%$1,353
$2,500	$750	$357	$480	$603
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$30	$153

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2026 ($1,171) to FY 2027 ($1,230). Since FY 2020 it's up 34% in total, about 4.2% a year. The Minnesota median moved up 5% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$612	$704	$920	$1,299	$1,615	—
FY 2021	$646	$732	$961	$1,345	$1,664	+4.5%
FY 2022	$710	$776	$992	$1,378	$1,698	+3.2%
FY 2023	$828	$845	$1,056	$1,478	$1,799	+6.5%
FY 2024	$897	$903	$1,101	$1,552	$1,868	+4.3%
FY 2025	$963	$969	$1,174	$1,645	$1,971	+6.6%
FY 2026	$971	$977	$1,171	$1,629	$1,916	-0.3%
FY 2027In effect	$1,016	$1,023	$1,230	$1,703	$1,744	+5.0%

About this rate

Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Blue Earth, that runs from $1,016 for a studio up to $1,744 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Blue Earth in with one other county in the Mankato metro, Nicollet County among them, and every one of them gets $1,230 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.

Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Blue Earth ranks 20th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 17% above the state median of $1,048 and about 16% above the national median county at $1,063. About 69,871 people live here, 13th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,060 in 56010 (Amboy) and $1,670 in 56078 (Pemberton), with the 12 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.

ZIP	City	2BR rate	vs county
56001	Mankato	$1,350	+9.8%
56002	Mankato	$1,300	+5.7%
56010	Amboy	$1,060	-13.8%
56024	Eagle Lake	$1,630	+32.5%
56034	Garden City	$1,070	-13.0%
56037	Good Thunder	$1,060	-13.8%
56055	Lake Crystal	$1,060	-13.8%
56063	Madison Lake	$1,070	-13.0%
56065	Mapleton	$1,060	-13.8%
56078	Pemberton	$1,670	+35.8%
56080	Saint Clair	$1,060	-13.8%
56090	Vernon Center	$1,190	-3.3%

Counties sharing the Mankato metro rate

HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,230 two-bedroom figure as Blue Earth.

Nicollet County

34,411 people

$1,230

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Blue Earth.

Nicollet County

19 mi · 34,411 people

$1,230

same rate

Waseca County

21 mi · 18,885 people

$1,030

-16%

Le Sueur County

25 mi · 29,113 people

$1,098

-11%

Faribault County

27 mi · 13,914 people

$1,014

-18%

Watonwan County

31 mi · 11,205 people

$1,014

-18%

Brown County

34 mi · 25,800 people

$1,071

-13%

Martin County

38 mi · 19,780 people

$1,014

-18%

Sibley County

38 mi · 15,005 people

$1,014

-18%

Questions people ask

$1,230 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,016 for a studio, $1,023 for one bedroom, $1,703 for three and $1,744 for four.

Tools for this county

All Minnesota counties All states

Fair Market Rent lookup

Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count

Section 8 rent calculator

Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent

What is Fair Market Rent?

How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords

Rent affordability calculator

The income a household needs for a given rent

Fair Market Rent in Blue Earth County, Minnesota (FY 2027)

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Blue Earth actually rent for?

What a voucher pays here

Rate history

About this rate

Rates by ZIP code

Counties sharing the Mankato metro rate

Nearby counties

Questions people ask

Tools for this county

What does a rental in Blue Earth actually go for?