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MN Rent Explorer / Section 8 rent spread / Crow Wing County
FMR versus market rent, FY2026

Section 8 Rent in Crow Wing County, Minnesota

The 2 bedroom fair market rent for every Crow Wing County ZIP code HUD publishes, the typical market asking rent where Zillow covers the ZIP code, and the gap between them. Where the fair market rent meets or beats the market, a voucher tenant is the stronger offer.

Median 2BR FMR, FY2026
$1,145
across 14 ZIP codes
Median market rent
$1,040
Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
Voucher competitive
1
of 1 ZIPs with both signals
Median spread
-$20
-1.9% of FMR

What the Crow Wing County numbers say

Every one of the 1 Crow Wing County ZIP codes with both signals is voucher competitive: the 2 bedroom fair market rent meets or beats typical asking rent in all of them, with a median spread of -1.9 percent.

Only one Crow Wing County ZIP code carries both signals, Brainerd 56401 at -1.9 percent, so treat this page as a single observation rather than a county pattern.

Zillow reaches 1 of the 14 Crow Wing County ZIP codes with HUD data, so the rest of the table carries a fair market rent and no market comparison. That is a coverage limit, not a signal that those ZIP codes are cheap or expensive: Zillow publishes only where listing volume supports an index. For those ZIP codes the fair market rent is still the number a payment standard is built from, and you should pull real comps for the rest. Every market rent on this page is the 2026-07 Zillow reading, so the column is one vintage and the medians below are comparable to each other.

Payment standards are not in this data. Vouchers in Crow Wing County run through a county or regional housing authority rather than any of the three large metro agencies. Each authority sets its own payment standard, normally between 90 and 110 percent of the published fair market rent, and can ask HUD to approve more. Nothing on this page adjusts for that. Check the payment standard with the housing authority: Metro HRA, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, and Saint Paul Public Housing Agency.

Every Crow Wing County ZIP code

ZIPCity2BR FMRMarket rentZillow monthSpreadSpread %Voucher fit
56401Brainerd$1,060$1,0402026-07-$20-1.9%Voucher competitive
56447Emily$1,620no data
56425Baxter$1,310no data
56449Fort Ripley$1,270no data
56455Ironton$1,240no data
56448Fifty Lakes$1,190no data
56450Garrison$1,190no data
56468Nisswa$1,170no data
56442Crosslake$1,120no data
56465Merrifield$1,080no data
56456Jenkins$1,050no data
56441Crosby$1,030no data
56444Deerwood$1,020no data
56472Pequot Lakes$990no data

Sorted from the most voucher friendly spread to the least, with ZIP codes that have no market rent at the end. Spread is market rent minus the 2 bedroom fair market rent, and the Zillow month column is the reading month behind that market rent. Click any ZIP code for its bedroom table, its rent trend, and the six nearest ZIP codes, or open the Crow Wing County rent page for the wider rent picture.

Questions about Section 8 in Crow Wing County

Does Section 8 pay more than market rent in Crow Wing County, Minnesota?

In 1 of the 1 Crow Wing County ZIP codes that carry both a HUD fair market rent and a Zillow market rent, the 2 bedroom fair market rent meets or beats typical asking rent. The county median 2 bedroom FMR is $1,145 for FY2026 against a median market rent of $1,040 as of 2026-07, a median spread of -1.9 percent. That is a screening signal, not a payment standard.

Which Crow Wing County ZIP code is best for a voucher?

On this data it is Brainerd 56401, where the 2 bedroom fair market rent of $1,060 sits -1.9 percent against a typical asking rent of $1,040. Brainerd 56401 is the other end at -1.9 percent. Unit condition, bedroom count, and the specific block still decide the actual rent.

What payment standard will the housing authority use in Crow Wing County?

This data does not include payment standards. A public housing authority sets its own payment standard, normally between 90 and 110 percent of the published fair market rent, and can ask HUD to approve more. None of that is in this data. Confirm the standard with the housing authority that administers the voucher. Applied to the Crow Wing County median 2 bedroom FMR of $1,145, a 90 to 110 percent band works out to roughly $1,030 to $1,260, which is a wide enough range to change whether a deal works.

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