HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Cass County, Minnesota (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Cass County is $973 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$973
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$876 to $1,070
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$38,920
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Minnesota
53rd of 87
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Cass moves to $1,014. That's up 4%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
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.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $729 | $656 to $802 | $29,160 | $14.02/hr | -1.1% |
| 1 bedroom | $768 | $691 to $845 | $30,720 | $14.77/hr | -10.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $973 | $876 to $1,070 | $38,920 | $18.71/hr | +3.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,300 | $1,170 to $1,430 | $52,000 | $25.00/hr | +4.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,632 | $1,469 to $1,795 | $65,280 | $31.38/hr | +7.4% |
5 to 8 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 | $1,877 | $1,689 to $2,065 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,122 | $1,910 to $2,334 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,366 | $2,129 to $2,603 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,611 | $2,350 to $2,872 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
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 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Cass, that runs from $729 for a studio up to $1,632 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 53rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 3% below the state median of $999 and about 4% below the national median county at $1,018. About 30,288 people live here, 36th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $970 in 56452 (Hackensack) and $1,270 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 | $973County rate | — |
| 56435 | Backus | $1,010 | +3.8% |
| 56452 | Hackensack | $970 | -0.3% |
| 56473 | Pillager | $990 | +1.7% |
| 56474 | Pine River | $970 | -0.3% |
| 56484 | Walker | $990 | +1.7% |
| 56626 | Bena | $970 | -0.3% |
| 56633 | Cass Lake | $1,060 | +8.9% |
| 56641 | Federal Dam | $990 | +1.7% |
| 56655 | Longville | $970 | -0.3% |
| 56662 | Outing | $1,270 | +30.5% |
| 56672 | Remer | $970 | -0.3% |
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 $876 and $1,070. 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.
$973 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $38,920 a year. Put another way, $19 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom, assuming the rent equals the payment standard. Tenant pays 30% of monthly income, HUD's housing assistance payment covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | HAP at 90% ($876) | HAP at 100% ($973) | HAP at 110% ($1,070) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $126 | $223 | $320 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($944) to FY 2026 ($973). Since FY 2020 it's up 26% in total, about 4.0% a year. The Minnesota median moved up 7% over the same year.
| 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 2027 | $734 | $775 | $1,014 | $1,335 | $1,695 | +4.2% |
Nearby counties
Hubbard County
$1,00824 mi · pop 21,479
Crow Wing County
$1,12036 mi · pop 66,558
Wadena County
$1,01645 mi · pop 14,108
Aitkin County
$97347 mi · pop 15,859
Itasca County
$1,07448 mi · pop 45,054
Beltrami County
$1,13555 mi · pop 46,274
Becker County
$1,02765 mi · pop 35,202
Clearwater County
$97365 mi · pop 8,541
Questions people ask
$973 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $729 for a studio, $768 for one bedroom, $1,300 for three and $1,632 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Look up any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count.
Section 8 rent calculator
Work out the 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
See what income a household needs for a given rent.
What does a rental in Cass actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Cass for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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