HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Clearwater County, Minnesota (FY 2027)
$1,014 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Clearwater County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Clearwater is measured against.
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
56th 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 | $706 | $635–$777 | $28,240 | $13.58/hr | +5.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $805 | $725–$886 | $32,200 | $15.48/hr | +2.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,014 | $913–$1,115 | $40,560 | $19.50/hr | +4.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,210 | $1,089–$1,331 | $48,400 | $23.27/hr | +2.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,481 | $1,333–$1,629 | $59,240 | $28.48/hr | -9.3% |
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 | $1,703 | $1,533–$1,873 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,925 | $1,733–$2,118 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,147 | $1,932–$2,362 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,370 | $2,133–$2,607 |
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 Clearwater actually rent for?
Search any address in Clearwater for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
No card needed
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 Clearwater 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 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 4% from FY 2026 ($973) to FY 2027 ($1,014). Since FY 2020 it's up 42% in total, about 5.1% 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 | $539 | $542 | $714 | $1,002 | $1,006 | — |
| FY 2021 | $553 | $557 | $734 | $1,050 | $1,128 | +2.8% |
| FY 2022 | $572 | $575 | $757 | $1,075 | $1,124 | +3.1% |
| FY 2023 | $644 | $648 | $853 | $1,212 | $1,256 | +12.7% |
| FY 2024 | $634 | $712 | $936 | $1,266 | $1,450 | +9.7% |
| FY 2025 | $640 | $711 | $933 | $1,177 | $1,567 | -0.3% |
| FY 2026 | $671 | $785 | $973 | $1,179 | $1,632 | +4.3% |
| FY 2027In effect | $706 | $805 | $1,014 | $1,210 | $1,481 | +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 Clearwater, that runs from $706 for a studio up to $1,481 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Because Clearwater 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, Bagley included.
Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Clearwater ranks 56th 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 8,616 people live here, 74th 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 56634 (Clearbrook) and $1,340 in 56676 (Shevlin), with the 5 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.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Clearwater.
Beltrami County
27 mi · 46,512 people
$1,230
+21%
Mahnomen County
32 mi · 5,358 people
$1,014
same rate
Red Lake County
35 mi · 3,915 people
$1,014
same rate
Polk County
42 mi · 30,705 people
$1,014
same rate
Pennington County
44 mi · 13,791 people
$1,142
+13%
Hubbard County
45 mi · 21,831 people
$1,020
+1%
Becker County
53 mi · 35,343 people
$1,105
+9%
Norman County
61 mi · 6,367 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 $706 for a studio, $805 for one bedroom, $1,210 for three and $1,481 for four.
Tools for this county
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
What does a rental in Clearwater actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Clearwater for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.