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

Section 8 Rent in Polk County, Minnesota

The 2 bedroom fair market rent for every Polk 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
$995
across 16 ZIP codes
Median market rent
$945
Zillow ZORI, 2026-06
Voucher competitive
1
of 1 ZIPs with both signals
Median spread
-$45
-4.5% of FMR

What the Polk County numbers say

Every one of the 1 Polk 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 -4.5 percent.

Only one Polk County ZIP code carries both signals, East Grand Forks 56721 at -4.5 percent, so treat this page as a single observation rather than a county pattern.

Zillow reaches 1 of the 16 Polk 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 2026-06 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 Polk 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 Polk County ZIP code

ZIPCity2BR FMRMarket rentZillow monthSpreadSpread %Voucher fit
56721East Grand Forks$990$9452026-06-$45-4.5%Voucher competitive
56723Fisher$1,170no data
56651Lengby$1,110no data
56716Crookston$1,030no data
56722Euclid$1,030no data
56736Mentor$1,020no data
56542Fosston$1,010no data
56517Beltrami$1,000no data
56684Trail$1,000no data
56568Nielsville$990no data
56646Gully$990no data
56523Climax$970no data
56535Erskine$970no data
56540Fertile$970no data
56556Mcintosh$970no data
56592Winger$970no 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 Polk County rent page for the wider rent picture.

Questions about Section 8 in Polk County

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

In 1 of the 1 Polk 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 $995 for FY2026 against a median market rent of $945 as of 2026-06, a median spread of -4.5 percent. That is a screening signal, not a payment standard.

Which Polk County ZIP code is best for a voucher?

On this data it is East Grand Forks 56721, where the 2 bedroom fair market rent of $990 sits -4.5 percent against a typical asking rent of $945. East Grand Forks 56721 is the other end at -4.5 percent. Unit condition, bedroom count, and the specific block still decide the actual rent.

What payment standard will the housing authority use in Polk 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 Polk County median 2 bedroom FMR of $995, a 90 to 110 percent band works out to roughly $896 to $1,094, which is a wide enough range to change whether a deal works.

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