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

Section 8 Rent in Olmsted County, Minnesota

The 2 bedroom fair market rent for every Olmsted 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
$1,410
across 11 ZIP codes
Median market rent
$1,661
Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
Voucher competitive
0
of 4 ZIPs with both signals
Median spread
+$221
+15.4% of FMR

What the Olmsted County numbers say

None of the 4 Olmsted County ZIP codes with both signals is voucher competitive. Typical asking rent runs above the 2 bedroom fair market rent everywhere in the county that Zillow covers, with a median spread of +15.4 percent.

The range inside the county matters more than the median. Rochester 55902 runs +5.7 percent, fair market rent $1,690 against market rent $1,786, while Rochester 55906 runs +27.3 percent at $1,230 against $1,566. A voucher that is the best offer on one side of the county can be short by a few hundred dollars on the other.

Zillow reaches 4 of the 11 Olmsted 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 Olmsted 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 Olmsted County ZIP code

ZIPCity2BR FMRMarket rentZillow monthSpreadSpread %Voucher fit
55902Rochester$1,690$1,7862026-07+$96+5.7%
55901Rochester$1,470$1,6292026-07+$159+10.8%
55904Rochester$1,410$1,6932026-07+$283+20.1%
55906Rochester$1,230$1,5662026-07+$336+27.3%
55960Oronoco$1,490no data
55903Rochester$1,420no data
55905Rochester$1,420no data
55920Byron$1,210no data
55929Dover$1,210no data
55934Eyota$1,210no data
55976Stewartville$1,210no 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 Olmsted County rent page for the wider rent picture.

Questions about Section 8 in Olmsted County

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

In 0 of the 4 Olmsted 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 $1,410 for FY2026 against a median market rent of $1,661 as of 2026-07, a median spread of +15.4 percent. That is a screening signal, not a payment standard.

Which Olmsted County ZIP code is best for a voucher?

On this data it is Rochester 55902, where the 2 bedroom fair market rent of $1,690 sits +5.7 percent against a typical asking rent of $1,786. Rochester 55906 is the other end at +27.3 percent. Unit condition, bedroom count, and the specific block still decide the actual rent.

What payment standard will the housing authority use in Olmsted 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 Olmsted County median 2 bedroom FMR of $1,410, a 90 to 110 percent band works out to roughly $1,269 to $1,551, which is a wide enough range to change whether a deal works.

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