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

Section 8 Rent in Ramsey County, Minnesota

The 2 bedroom fair market rent for every Ramsey 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
$1,630
across 20 ZIP codes
Median market rent
$1,522
Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
Voucher competitive
17
of 19 ZIPs with both signals
Median spread
-$168
-10.5% of FMR

What the Ramsey County numbers say

17 of the 19 Ramsey County ZIP codes with both signals are voucher competitive, 89 percent of them, and the county median spread is -10.5 percent, or -$168 against a median 2 bedroom fair market rent of $1,630.

The range inside the county matters more than the median. Saint Paul 55130 runs -25.9 percent, fair market rent $1,520 against market rent $1,126, while Saint Paul 55110 runs +2.5 percent at $1,820 against $1,866. 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 19 of the 20 Ramsey 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 Ramsey County run through the Saint Paul Public Housing Agency inside Saint Paul, and through Metro HRA or a suburban authority outside it. 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 Ramsey County ZIP code

ZIPCity2BR FMRMarket rentZillow monthSpreadSpread %Voucher fit
55130Saint Paul$1,520$1,1262026-07-$394-25.9%Voucher competitive
55101Saint Paul$2,040$1,5762026-07-$464-22.7%Voucher competitive
55105Saint Paul$1,640$1,3412026-07-$299-18.2%Voucher competitive
55114Saint Paul$1,960$1,6182026-07-$342-17.4%Voucher competitive
55113Saint Paul$1,700$1,4372026-07-$263-15.5%Voucher competitive
55106Saint Paul$1,520$1,3192026-07-$201-13.2%Voucher competitive
55108Saint Paul$1,730$1,5222026-07-$208-12.0%Voucher competitive
55117Saint Paul$1,520$1,3422026-07-$178-11.7%Voucher competitive
55103Saint Paul$1,520$1,3482026-07-$172-11.3%Voucher competitive
55119Saint Paul$1,600$1,4322026-07-$168-10.5%Voucher competitive
55116Saint Paul$1,720$1,5642026-07-$156-9.1%Voucher competitive
55102Saint Paul$1,770$1,6412026-07-$129-7.3%Voucher competitive
55112Saint Paul$1,570$1,4662026-07-$104-6.6%Voucher competitive
55104Saint Paul$1,530$1,4422026-07-$88-5.8%Voucher competitive
55109Saint Paul$1,620$1,5292026-07-$91-5.6%Voucher competitive
55107Saint Paul$1,600$1,5312026-07-$69-4.3%Voucher competitive
55127Saint Paul$1,940$1,8622026-07-$78-4.0%Voucher competitive
55126Saint Paul$1,820$1,8602026-07+$40+2.2%
55110Saint Paul$1,820$1,8662026-07+$46+2.5%
55155Saint Paul$1,580no 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 Ramsey County rent page for the wider rent picture.

Questions about Section 8 in Ramsey County

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

In 17 of the 19 Ramsey 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 $1,630 for FY2026 against a median market rent of $1,522 as of 2026-07, a median spread of -10.5 percent. That is a screening signal, not a payment standard.

Which Ramsey County ZIP code is best for a voucher?

On this data it is Saint Paul 55130, where the 2 bedroom fair market rent of $1,520 sits -25.9 percent against a typical asking rent of $1,126. Saint Paul 55110 is the other end at +2.5 percent. Unit condition, bedroom count, and the specific block still decide the actual rent.

What payment standard will the housing authority use in Ramsey 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 Ramsey County median 2 bedroom FMR of $1,630, a 90 to 110 percent band works out to roughly $1,467 to $1,793, which is a wide enough range to change whether a deal works.

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