08/05/2026
NEW NATIONAL REPORT SHOWS MINNESOTA'S HOUSING WAGE IS THE HIGHEST IN THE UPPER MIDWEST
Minnesota Housing Partnership's Minnesota Snapshot of the 2026 Out of Reach report highlights state and county trends that reveal that households in every corner of Minnesota are spending thousands of dollars more than they can afford each year just to pay the rent for a modest apartment.
The Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment in Minnesota is $1,468. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities — without paying more than 30% of income on housing — a household must earn $4,893 monthly or $58,711 annually.
SPOILER ALERT: Wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living.
Minnesota ranks #27 in the nation for the highest wages required to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. The wage required to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in Minnesota is the most expensive in the Midwest, including $5.08 higher than the Wisconsin housing wage, $8.24 higher than Iowa’s, $9.27 higher than South Dakota’s, and $8.76 higher than North Dakota’s.
For 40 years, Open Your Heart has worked to ensure every Minnesotan has shelter. We do this by partnering with organizations across the state providing critical infrastructure and essential needs. When Minnesotans are not able to find or keep stable housing they rely on our Community Impact Partners for help.
The study can be found here, https://mhponline.org/publications/out-of-reach-2025/
And to learn more about our work, visit our website: https://oyh.org/
