Metro FMR · CBSA 41060 · HUD FY2026

St. Cloud, MN MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the St. Cloud, MN MSA metro area - 4% below the US average.

$919
1-bedroom FMR
$1,206
2-bedroom FMR
+4.1%
YoY change
-4%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the St. Cloud, MN MSA area rents at $1,206 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 3% above the US average, lower than 63% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#144
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+3%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$48,240
income to afford it (30% rule)
+4.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

St. Cloud: #144 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $75,670, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 14.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 199,922 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.1%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.8%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,021/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,206 runs 18.1% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

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: 41.5% of the 24,915 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

$874/mo

13.9% of median income

1 Bedroom

$919/mo

14.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,206/mo

19.1% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,604/mo

25.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,873/mo

29.7% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·41060

St. Cloud: $919/mo 1BR · #144 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 41060

  • CBSA 41060
  • 1BR-FMR $919
  • 2BR-FMR $1,206
  • RANK-MID #144
  • YOY-UP +4.1%
  • VSUS-NEAR -4%
  • IN-ST-LOW #2 MN
  • INC-ROOM 15%
  • POP-MID 200K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Duluth
  • VOUCH-90-110 $827–$1,011
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Duluth ($59 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where St. Cloud sits among every US metro

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

$1,206 higher than 37% 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.

What this shows #144 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 3% above the national 2-bedroom average. 94 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 41060

Counties inside St. Cloud

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 41060, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,206–$1,206, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Stearns County 2BR $1,206 · 159K Benton County 2BR $1,206 · 41K

St. Cloud studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #144 most affordable

1BR $919 (-4% vs US, +4.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 41060.

Studio
$874
US avg $893
↑2.1% YoY -2% vs US
1 Bedroom
$919
US avg $959
↑4.1% YoY -4% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,206
US avg $1,175
↑4.8% YoY +3% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,604
US avg $1,525
↑6.2% YoY +5% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,873
US avg $1,756
↑4.2% YoY +7% vs US

How St. Cloud compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MN metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

St. Cloud: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs St. Cloud 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).

Baton Rouge
LA · 2 BR $1,204/mo
Springfield
IL · 2 BR $1,203/mo
Bloomington
IN · 2 BR $1,210/mo
Erie
PA · 2 BR $1,212/mo

Burden % · outside MN

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

Wichita
KS · 19.1% of income · 2 BR $1,099/mo
Allen County
KY · 19.1% of income · 2 BR $996/mo
Camden County
NC · 19.2% of income · 2 BR $1,287/mo
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
IA · 19.1% of income · 2 BR $1,143/mo

St. Cloud: quick answers

What is the average rent in the St. Cloud, MN MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in St. Cloud, MN MSA is $919 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,206 and a studio is $874.
How does St. Cloud, MN MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the St. Cloud, MN MSA metro area is 4% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $919 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does St. Cloud rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,206 ranks #144 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the St. Cloud metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 41060, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,206–$1,206 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is St. Cloud's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.1%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.8%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare St. Cloud vs Duluth →

What this means for renters

Treat St. Cloud's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

  • Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $919 implies about $36,760/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how St. Cloud stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Duluth
  • See where St. Cloud ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 2 counties; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

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 $919/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.