How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Cass County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $913 to $1,115. 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.

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

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Cass those run from $1,010 to $1,160 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 Cass 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 Cass County, Minnesota (FY 2027)

HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Cass County is $1,014 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,014

+4.2% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$913–$1,115

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

Income to afford

$40,560

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Minnesota

54th 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	$734	$661–$807	$29,360	$14.12/hr	+0.7%
1 bedroom	$775	$698–$853	$31,000	$14.90/hr	+0.9%
2 bedroom	$1,014	$913–$1,115	$40,560	$19.50/hr	+4.2%
3 bedroom	$1,335	$1,202–$1,469	$53,400	$25.67/hr	+2.7%
4 bedroom	$1,695	$1,526–$1,865	$67,800	$32.60/hr	+3.9%

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	$1,949	$1,754–$2,144
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,204	$1,984–$2,424
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,458	$2,212–$2,704
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,712	$2,441–$2,983

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 Cass actually rent for?

Search any address in Cass 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 Cass somewhere between $913 and $1,115. 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.

$1,014 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $40,560 a year. Put another way, $20 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%$913	Voucher pays at 100%$1,014	Voucher pays at 110%$1,115
$2,500	$750	$163	$264	$365
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$0	$0

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 4% from FY 2026 ($973) to FY 2027 ($1,014). Since FY 2020 it's up 32% in total, about 4.0% 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	$502	$585	$770	$960	$1,043	—
FY 2021	$487	$560	$738	$921	$1,001	-4.2%
FY 2022	$527	$603	$793	$1,014	$1,075	+7.5%
FY 2023	$585	$775	$875	$1,132	$1,175	+10.3%
FY 2024	$791	$849	$953	$1,260	$1,441	+8.9%
FY 2025	$737	$853	$944	$1,240	$1,519	-0.9%
FY 2026	$729	$768	$973	$1,300	$1,632	+3.1%
FY 2027In effect	$734	$775	$1,014	$1,335	$1,695	+4.2%

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 Cass, that runs from $734 for a studio up to $1,695 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Because Cass sits outside any HUD metro area, its rate is a county-wide figure built from local rents. One number covers every address in the county, Ah Gwah Ching included.

Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Cass ranks 54th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 3% below the state median of $1,048 and about 5% below the national median county at $1,063. About 30,992 people live here, 34th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,010 in 56435 (Backus) and $1,160 in 56662 (Outing), with the 11 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
56430	Ah Gwah Ching	$1,014County rate	—
56435	Backus	$1,010	-0.4%
56452	Hackensack	$1,010	-0.4%
56473	Pillager	$1,110	+9.5%
56474	Pine River	$1,010	-0.4%
56484	Walker	$1,040	+2.6%
56626	Bena	$1,010	-0.4%
56633	Cass Lake	$1,110	+9.5%
56641	Federal Dam	$1,060	+4.5%
56655	Longville	$1,010	-0.4%
56662	Outing	$1,160	+14.4%
56672	Remer	$1,060	+4.5%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Cass.

Hubbard County

24 mi · 21,831 people

$1,020

+1%

Crow Wing County

36 mi · 67,686 people

$1,172

+16%

Wadena County

45 mi · 14,256 people

$1,059

+4%

Aitkin County

47 mi · 16,056 people

$1,048

+3%

Itasca County

48 mi · 45,275 people

$1,164

+15%

Beltrami County

55 mi · 46,512 people

$1,230

+21%

Becker County

65 mi · 35,343 people

$1,105

+9%

Clearwater County

65 mi · 8,616 people

$1,014

same rate

Questions people ask

$1,014 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $734 for a studio, $775 for one bedroom, $1,335 for three and $1,695 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