Metro FMR · CBSA 20260 · HUD FY2026

Duluth, MN-WI MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Duluth, MN-WI MSA metro area - 2% above the US average.

$978
1-bedroom FMR
$1,232
2-bedroom FMR
+9.2%
YoY change
+2%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Duluth, MN-WI MSA area rents at $1,232 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 5% above the US average, lower than 60% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#156
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+5%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$49,280
income to afford it (30% rule)
+9.2%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Duluth: #156 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $71,067, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 16.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Duluth in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 280,576 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 46.8% of the 32,342 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$849/mo

14.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$978/mo

16.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,232/mo

20.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,689/mo

28.5% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,067/mo

34.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·20260

Duluth: $978/mo 1BR · #156 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 20260

  • CBSA 20260
  • 1BR-FMR $978
  • 2BR-FMR $1,232
  • RANK-MID #156
  • YOY-SURGE +9.2%
  • VSUS-NEAR +2%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #4 MN
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MAJOR 281K
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mankato
  • VOUCH-90-110 $880–$1,076
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Mankato ($1 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Duluth sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,232 higher than 40% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 20260

Counties inside Duluth

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 20260, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,232–$1,232, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

St. Louis County 2BR $1,232 · 200K Douglas County 2BR $1,232 · 44K Carlton County 2BR $1,232 · 36K

Duluth studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #156 most affordable

1BR $978 (+2% vs US, +9.2% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 20260.

Studio
$849
US avg $893
↑8.6% YoY -5% vs US
1 Bedroom
$978
US avg $959
↑9.2% YoY +2% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,232
US avg $1,175
↑8.1% YoY +5% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,689
US avg $1,525
↑9.8% YoY +11% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,067
US avg $1,756
↑8.0% YoY +18% vs US

How Duluth compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MN metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Duluth highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Duluth: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Duluth with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside MN (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside MN

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Killeen-Temple
TX · 2 BR $1,233/mo
Cleveland
TN · 2 BR $1,233/mo
Racine-Mount Pleasant
WI · 2 BR $1,235/mo
Appleton
WI · 2 BR $1,236/mo

Burden % · outside MN

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Warner Robins
GA · 20.8% of income · 2 BR $1,362/mo
Champaign-Urbana
IL · 20.9% of income · 2 BR $1,122/mo
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
AR · 20.7% of income · 2 BR $1,347/mo
Binghamton
NY · 20.9% of income · 2 BR $1,103/mo

Duluth: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Duluth, MN-WI MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Duluth, MN-WI MSA is $978 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,232 and a studio is $849.
How does Duluth, MN-WI MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Duluth, MN-WI MSA metro area is 2% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $978 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Duluth rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,232 ranks #156 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Duluth metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 20260, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,232–$1,232 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Duluth vs Mankato →

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $978/mo · 1BR MN

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.