How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Nicollet 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 Nicollet 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 Nicollet gets the same $1,230 two-bedroom figure as Blue Earth County.

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

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Nicollet those run from $1,060 to $1,120 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 Nicollet 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 Nicollet County, Minnesota (FY 2027)

A two-bedroom in Nicollet 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 Nicollet 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

21st 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 Nicollet actually rent for?

Search any address in Nicollet 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 Nicollet 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 Nicollet, 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 Nicollet in with one other county in the Mankato metro, Blue Earth 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, Nicollet ranks 21st 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 34,411 people live here, 32nd 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 56054 (Lafayette) and $1,120 in 56082 (Saint Peter), 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.

ZIP	City	2BR rate	vs county
56003	Mankato	$1,070	-13.0%
56021	Courtland	$1,070	-13.0%
56054	Lafayette	$1,060	-13.8%
56074	Nicollet	$1,060	-13.8%
56082	Saint Peter	$1,120	-8.9%

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 Nicollet.

Blue Earth County

69,871 people

$1,230

Nearby counties

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

Blue Earth County

19 mi · 69,871 people

$1,230

same rate

Sibley County

20 mi · 15,005 people

$1,014

-18%

Brown County

23 mi · 25,800 people

$1,071

-13%

Le Sueur County

25 mi · 29,113 people

$1,098

-11%

Watonwan County

30 mi · 11,205 people

$1,014

-18%

McLeod County

36 mi · 36,798 people

$1,073

-13%

Waseca County

36 mi · 18,885 people

$1,030

-16%

Carver County

42 mi · 110,041 people

$1,734

+41%

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 Nicollet County, Minnesota (FY 2027)

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Nicollet 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 Nicollet actually go for?