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

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $930 to $1,136. 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 Freeborn County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Freeborn those run from $1,010 to $1,300 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 Freeborn 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 Freeborn County, Minnesota (FY 2027)

$1,033 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Freeborn County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Freeborn is measured against.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,033

+6.1% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$930–$1,136

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

Income to afford

$41,320

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Minnesota

45th 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	$719	$647–$791	$28,760	$13.83/hr	+7.0%
1 bedroom	$790	$711–$869	$31,600	$15.19/hr	+6.5%
2 bedroom	$1,033	$930–$1,136	$41,320	$19.87/hr	+6.1%
3 bedroom	$1,355	$1,220–$1,491	$54,200	$26.06/hr	+5.6%
4 bedroom	$1,555	$1,400–$1,711	$62,200	$29.90/hr	+8.6%

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	$1,788	$1,609–$1,967
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,022	$1,820–$2,224
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,255	$2,030–$2,481
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,488	$2,239–$2,737

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 Freeborn actually rent for?

Search any address in Freeborn 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 Freeborn somewhere between $930 and $1,136. 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.

$1,033 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $41,320 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%$930	Voucher pays at 100%$1,033	Voucher pays at 110%$1,136
$2,500	$750	$180	$283	$386
$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 6% from FY 2026 ($974) to FY 2027 ($1,033). Since FY 2020 it's up 40% in total, about 4.9% 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	$480	$560	$737	$931	$1,143	—
FY 2021	$484	$557	$734	$913	$1,124	-0.4%
FY 2022	$528	$603	$794	$985	$1,190	+8.2%
FY 2023	$584	$664	$874	$1,087	$1,278	+10.1%
FY 2024	$659	$740	$972	$1,239	$1,402	+11.2%
FY 2025	$640	$711	$933	$1,200	$1,354	-4.0%
FY 2026	$672	$742	$974	$1,283	$1,432	+4.4%
FY 2027In effect	$719	$790	$1,033	$1,355	$1,555	+6.1%

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 Freeborn, that runs from $719 for a studio up to $1,555 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Because Freeborn 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, Albert Lea included.

Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Freeborn ranks 45th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $1,048 and about 3% below the national median county at $1,063. About 30,623 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 $1,010 in 56089 (Twin Lakes) and $1,300 in 56009 (Alden), 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
56007	Albert Lea	$1,030	-0.3%
56009	Alden	$1,300	+25.8%
56016	Clarks Grove	$1,070	+3.6%
56020	Conger	$1,300	+25.8%
56029	Emmons	$1,050	+1.6%
56032	Freeborn	$1,280	+23.9%
56035	Geneva	$1,030	-0.3%
56036	Glenville	$1,090	+5.5%
56042	Hartland	$1,030	-0.3%
56043	Hayward	$1,040	+0.7%
56045	Hollandale	$1,140	+10.4%
56089	Twin Lakes	$1,010	-2.2%

Nearby counties

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

Steele County

24 mi · 37,439 people

$1,244

+20%

Waseca County

25 mi · 18,885 people

$1,030

same rate

Faribault County

28 mi · 13,914 people

$1,014

-2%

Mower County

32 mi · 40,343 people

$1,080

+5%

Dodge County

37 mi · 21,045 people

$1,422

+38%

Blue Earth County

41 mi · 69,871 people

$1,230

+19%

Rice County

48 mi · 67,917 people

$1,226

+19%

Le Sueur County

49 mi · 29,113 people

$1,098

+6%

Questions people ask

$1,033 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $719 for a studio, $790 for one bedroom, $1,355 for three and $1,555 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