Metro FMR · CBSA 31860 · HUD FY2026

Mankato, MN MSA Fair Market Rent

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

$977
1-bedroom FMR
$1,171
2-bedroom FMR
+0.8%
YoY change
+2%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Mankato, MN MSA area rents at $1,171 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 0% below the US average, lower than 70% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#117
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-0%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$46,840
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Mankato: #117 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $74,722, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.7% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 103,402 residents, this is a smaller-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: 43.0% of the 13,999 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

$971/mo

15.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$977/mo

15.7% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,171/mo

18.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,629/mo

26.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,916/mo

30.8% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·31860

Mankato: $977/mo 1BR · #117 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 31860

  • CBSA 31860
  • 1BR-FMR $977
  • 2BR-FMR $1,171
  • RANK-MID #117
  • YOY-FLAT +0.8%
  • VSUS-NEAR +2%
  • IN-ST-LOW #3 MN
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MID 103K
  • PHOTO-FINISH Duluth
  • VOUCH-90-110 $879–$1,075
  • FY-2026 FY2026

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

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Mankato sits among every US metro

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

$1,171 higher than 30% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $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 31860

Counties inside Mankato

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 31860, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,171–$1,171, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Blue Earth County 2BR $1,171 · 69K Nicollet County 2BR $1,171 · 34K

Mankato studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #117 most affordable

1BR $977 (+2% vs US, +0.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 31860.

Studio
$971
US avg $893
↑0.8% YoY +9% vs US
1 Bedroom
$977
US avg $959
↑0.8% YoY +2% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,171
US avg $1,175
↓0.3% YoY -0% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,629
US avg $1,525
↓1.0% YoY +7% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,916
US avg $1,756
↓2.8% YoY +9% vs US

How Mankato compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MN metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Mankato: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Mankato 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).

Utica-Rome
NY · 2 BR $1,172/mo
Anderson
SC · 2 BR $1,173/mo
Jacksonville
NC · 2 BR $1,173/mo
Custer County
SD · 2 BR $1,173/mo

Burden % · outside MN

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

Huntsville
AL · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,310/mo
Des Moines-West Des Moines
IA · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,318/mo
Erie County
OH · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,106/mo
Cochran County
TX · 18.7% of income · 2 BR $973/mo

Mankato: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Mankato, MN MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Mankato, MN MSA is $977 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,171 and a studio is $971.
How does Mankato, MN MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Mankato, MN MSA metro area is 2% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $977 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Mankato rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,171 ranks #117 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Mankato metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 31860, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,171–$1,171 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Mankato vs Duluth →

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 $977/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.