The 2 bedroom fair market rent in Brainerd (Crow Wing County) is $1,060 for FY2026, and typical market asking rent is $1,040. Rents here moved +6.0 percent year over year. ZIP 56401 sits in the Brainerd, MN area.
See how this ZIP compares for Section 8 vouchers, fair market rent against market asking rent for every tracked Minnesota ZIP.
| Unit size | FY2026 FMR | Vs FY2025 | ACS median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $740 | +2.8% | |
| 1 bedroom | $810 | +5.2% | |
| 2 bedroom | $1,060 | +6.0% | |
| 3 bedroom | $1,280 | +3.2% | |
| 4 bedroom | $1,510 | +6.3% |
FMR is the HUD Fair Market Rent for this ZIP, the 40th percentile of gross rents. It anchors Section 8 payment standards and runs below top of market. ACS median is the Census survey estimate where available.
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Market asking rent sits about $20 below the 2 bedroom FMR. That usually means the Zillow index skews to smaller or older stock in this ZIP, or supply is soft. Underwrite from actual comps, not the FMR.
Zillow ZORI is a smoothed index of asking rents across all unit sizes. HUD FMR is a 2 bedroom 40th percentile estimate. They measure different things, so treat the spread as a signal, not a price. See the full FMR versus market rent spread for every Minnesota ZIP with both signals.
Among the 14 Crow Wing County ZIP codes with a HUD rent estimate, 56401 ranks number 10 of 14 on 2 bedroom fair market rent. That is $85 below the county median of $1,145. The county runs from $990 in Pequot Lakes 56472 to $1,620 in Emily 56447. Statewide the median 2 bedroom fair market rent is $1,090, which puts Brainerd 3 percent below the Minnesota median. Voucher competitiveness for every Crow Wing County ZIP code with both signals is on the Crow Wing County Section 8 page.
Of the 6 nearest ZIP codes with an estimate, Baxter 56425 carries the highest 2 bedroom fair market rent at $1,310 and Deerwood 56444 the lowest at $1,020, against $1,060 here.
The HUD fair market rent for a 2 bedroom in ZIP 56401 is $1,060 for FY2026. Typical market asking rent is around $1,040 per Zillow as of 2026-07. Actual rents vary by unit size, condition, and location within the ZIP.
The 2 bedroom fair market rent rose 6.0 percent from FY2025 to FY2026, moving from $1,000 to $1,060.
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of the 40th percentile gross rent for a ZIP. It sets Section 8 payment standards, so it is the rent a voucher will support here. Investors use it as a conservative floor when underwriting rental income.
Rent level is only one input. Run the numbers: at $1,060 for a 2 bedroom, a deal in Brainerd pencils or it does not based on price, taxes, insurance, and financing. Pencilwrite computes cap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR, and true ROE from a few inputs.
Pencilwrite turns an address, a price, and these rents into a full underwrite, cap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR, true ROE, taxes, and an offer you can send. Limited beta access spots open. Sign up for the beta, opening in the next two months. Free.
