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City · 70,629 residents · Stearns County, Minnesota

St. Cloud , Minnesota

In St. Cloud, a typical home is worth $225,000 and typical rent is $1,003 a month. Compared with all of Stearns County, typical household income is 20% lower, the typical home value is 18% lower, and the share of households that own their home is 19 points lower.

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  • Typical home value

    $225,000

    18% below the county

    32% below Minnesota

    • St. Cloud
    • Stearns
    • Minnesota

  • Typical rent

    $1,003a month

    6% below the county

    22% below Minnesota

    • St. Cloud
    • Stearns
    • Minnesota

  • Typical household income

    $61,374a year

    20% below the county

    31% below Minnesota

    • St. Cloud
    • Stearns
    • Minnesota

  • Households that own their home

    49%

    19 points below the county

    24 points below Minnesota

    • St. Cloud
    • Stearns
    • Minnesota

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

St. Cloud is in Stearns County. The FHA loan limit ($541,287 for a one-unit home), the fair market rents and the help on this page are those of all of Stearns County. See the county

Data updated: October 1, 2026 11 official sources

Only here

What sets St. Cloud apart

What this place has that others do not, from public data, most unusual first.

  1. St. Cloud has the 4th lowest homeownership rate of the 152 cities in Minnesota with more than 5,000 people (49%).

  2. The typical household income in St. Cloud is $61,374, 20% less than in Stearns County as a whole ($77,066).

  3. The typical home in St. Cloud is worth $225,000, 18% less than in Stearns County as a whole ($273,400).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024).

The homes here

Housing in St. Cloud

What homes there are in St. Cloud, what they cost, how that changed and how people live, from Census figures (2020–2024).

What homes there are

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Kind of home

Detached houses are the majority in St. Cloud (50%), but less so than in Stearns County (69%).

Year built

Homes in St. Cloud are older: the typical year built is 1981; in Stearns County, 1985.

There are fewer big homes in St. Cloud than in Stearns County: 52% have 3 bedrooms or more, against 64%.

All homes, occupied or empty. A figure the Census cannot measure precisely enough here is not shown.

Census tables: B25024, B25034, B25035, B25041

What it costs here

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Value of owner-occupied homes

By price, most homes in St. Cloud sit under the FHA limit for Stearns County ($541,287): about 96%.

Monthly rent with utilities

About 64% of rented homes in St. Cloud cost less than HUD's 2-bedroom fair market rent for Stearns County ($1,233); the rest cost more.

With a mortgage

$1,530 a month

Stearns County: $1,696 a month

Without a mortgage

$601 a month

Stearns County: $646 a month

Owners with a mortgage

59%

Stearns County: 59%

In St. Cloud, 59% of owners have a mortgage, and their typical cost is $1,530 a month, against $1,696 in Stearns County. Without one it drops to $601.

Value: what owners think their home is worth. Rent: rent plus utilities, for homes of every size. The FHA limit is the most an FHA loan (Federal Housing Administration) lends for a one-unit home; the fair market rent (FMR) is the one HUD uses for housing vouchers.

Census tables: B25075, B25063, B25088, B25081

How it changed

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

Change since 2015–2019

From 2015–2019 to 2020–2024, the typical home value in St. Cloud rose 45%; in Stearns County, it rose 48%.

Rents in St. Cloud rose more slowly than in Stearns County: 25% since 2015–2019, against 28%.

To compare: typical income in St. Cloud rose 25%; the home, +45%; the rent, +25%.

Change between two 5-year periods that do not overlap, in each period's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

Census tables: B25077, B25064, B19013

How people live

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

MeasureSt. CloudStearns CountyMinnesotaUnited States
Rental vacancy 5.1%5.1%5.3%5.5%
Homeowner vacancy Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate0.6%0.9%
More than one person per room 5.7%3.2%2.3%3.4%
People per household 2.362.502.432.53
Drive alone 72%75%69%69%
Carpool 11%8%8%9%
Public transit 2%1%2%3%
Walk or bike 6%5%3%3%
Work from home 9%11%18%15%
Other means Unreliable estimate1%1%2%
Typical commute 10 to 19 minutes10 to 19 minutes20 to 29 minutes20 to 29 minutes

Open rentals in St. Cloud look like those in Stearns County: the rental vacancy rate is 5.1%.

More than one person per room: that is how 5.7% of households in St. Cloud live, more than in Stearns County (3.2%).

Households in St. Cloud are smaller: 2.36 people on average; in Stearns County, 2.50.

To get to work, 72% of workers in St. Cloud drive alone; in Stearns County, 75%.

Vacancy: empty homes offered for rent or for sale. Rooms: every room in the home, not only bedrooms. Commute: the minute range of the typical worker.

Census tables: B25004, B25003, B25014, B25010, B08301, B08303

Do the math

What would you pay each month for a home in St. Cloud?

A typical home costs more than the typical income allows

We start with a typical home in St. Cloud, worth $225,000, an FHA loan with 3.5% down and the latest average rate (7.18%). That payment would take 37% of the typical household income in St. Cloud, which is $61,374 a year. For that payment to be 28% of income, a household would need to earn about $80,700 a year.

The calculator's FHA and conventional loan limits are those of all of Stearns County.

Your numbers

Local data
$

Starts at the typical home value in St. Cloud. Change it to the price you have in mind.

Loan type
Your credit score

Your score changes which loans apply and FHA's minimum down payment. Your real rate also depends on your credit.

Down payment
%

That is $7,875 (3.5% of the price). The usual minimum for this loan is 3.5%.

This week's average ± a quarter or half point.

Term

National average as of November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac); your rate may be different.

Adjust advanced details

Estimated monthly payment

Local data

$1,883

at 7.18% · 30 years

Loan amount
$220,925
Total interest
$317,859
Paid off in
November 2056

Includes $3,800 FHA upfront mortgage insurance premium.

Does it fit the income?

  • Comfortable

    up to $1,432 a month

  • Tight

    $1,432 to $1,841 a month

  • Hard

    more than $1,841 a month

    Your payment · 37%

Compared with the typical household income in St. Cloud ($61,374 a year). Reference: HUD calls paying more than 30% of income for housing a cost burden.

Show the result as
per month$1,883
Principal & interest$1,497
Property tax$193
Home insurance$94
FHA mortgage insurance (MIP)$100

You need at least $7,875 for the down payment, plus closing costs.

Next step

This is an estimate to give you an idea, not a loan offer. Your real payment depends on your rate, your credit, and the insurance and taxes on the home you buy.

The city and its county

St. Cloud and Stearns County

St. Cloud is in Stearns County, Minnesota. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes its own numbers for the city: home values, rent, household income, how many households own their home and the property tax. They are American Community Survey estimates (average 2020–2024).

St. Cloud's own numbers

Typical home value
$225,000
Typical monthly rent
$1,003
Typical yearly household income
$61,374
Households that own their home
49%
Effective property tax rate
1.03%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (average 2020–2024).

Numbers for all of Stearns County

FHA limit, one-unit home
$541,287
Conventional limit, one unit
$832,750
HUD fair market rent, 2 bedrooms
$1,233
Price change over 5 years (FHFA)
+43%
Homes in a high flood-risk zone
1.2%

HUD, FHFA and FEMA don't publish these numbers by city.

Other numbers are not published by city, only for the whole county: FHA and conventional loan limits, HUD’s fair market rents, FHFA’s price index and FEMA’s flood data. On this page, those numbers always say they are for all of Stearns County.

Everything about Stearns County

Buying

Buying a home in St. Cloud

A typical home in St. Cloud is worth $225,000: 18% below the county and 32% below Minnesota. With the typical household income in St. Cloud ($61,374 a year), a typical home costs 3.7 times what the household earns in a year.

Years of income to pay for a typical home

The typical home value divided by the typical household income for one year. The lower it is, the less buying weighs.

  • St. Cloud 3.7 years
  • Stearns 3.5 years
  • Minnesota 3.7 years
  • United States 4.1 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

How prices have changed in Stearns County

According to FHFA’s house price index, home prices in Stearns County rose 76% in the 10 years through 2025.

FHFA does not publish this index by city: these are the numbers for all of Stearns County.

Period County Minnesota U.S.
Last year (2025) +2.2% +2.8% +2.9%
5 years (2020–2025) +43% +37% +47%
10 years (2015–2025) +76% +71% +85%

The index follows the price of the same homes over time (sales and appraisals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans). It is not the average price of a home. FHFA considers its annual county indexes experimental. Source: FHFA, 2025 data

St. Cloud next to Stearns County, Minnesota and the U.S.

Three numbers side by side. “Typical” means the median: half are above it and half below.

Typical home value
  • St. Cloud $225,000
  • Stearns $273,400
  • Minnesota $329,300
  • United States $332,700
Typical monthly rent
  • St. Cloud $1,003
  • Stearns $1,068
  • Minnesota $1,280
  • United States $1,413
Typical yearly household income
  • St. Cloud $61,374
  • Stearns $77,066
  • Minnesota $89,062
  • United States $80,734
See the full table
St. Cloud next to Stearns County and Minnesota
Measure St. Cloud Stearns County Minnesota U.S.
Typical home value $225,000 $273,400 $329,300 $332,700
Typical monthly rent $1,003 $1,068 $1,280 $1,413
Typical yearly household income $61,374 $77,066 $89,062 $80,734
Households that own their home 49% 68% 72% 65%
Typical yearly property tax $2,320 $2,742 $3,357 $3,119
Effective property tax rate 1.03% 1% 1.02% 0.94%
Renters with high rent for their income 47% 50% 48% 51%

“Typical” means the median: half are above and half are below. ▲ and ▼ say whether the city is above or below Stearns County. “High rent” is the Census measure: renter households that pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

Four ways to pay for a typical home in St. Cloud

For a typical $225,000 home in St. Cloud, at Freddie Mac's average rate (7.18% as of November 5, 2026) over 30 years. The monthly payment adds principal and interest, St. Cloud's typical property tax, an example home insurance and mortgage insurance when it applies.

  • FHA, 3.5% down $1,883a month

    Least cash to close
    Down payment
    $7,875
    Cash to close
    $14,625
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    FHA MIP · $100

  • Conventional, 5% down $1,842a month

    Down payment
    $11,250
    Cash to close
    $18,000
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    PMI · $107

  • Conventional, 20% down, no PMI $1,506a month

    Down payment
    $45,000
    Cash to close
    $51,750
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

  • ITIN, 15% down (example) $1,714a month

    Down payment
    $33,750
    Cash to close
    $40,500
    Rate
    8.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

The option that asks for the least cash to close is FHA, 3.5% down.

  • Cash to close = down payment plus 3% of the price in closing costs (example).
  • Minimum score: FHA requires 580 or higher for the minimum down payment (HUD Handbook 4000.1). * Fannie Mae requires 620 when a loan is underwritten by hand; its automated system has no fixed minimum.
  • The ITIN row is an example with a rate 1 percentage point higher: ITIN loans follow no federal rule and each lender sets its own down payment and rate. Nothing in this table promises an approval.

How much house can I afford? Estimate closing costs

Taxes and floods

Two costs that change from place to place

Property tax and flood insurance raise or lower what you pay each month. Here are the numbers for St. Cloud and for Stearns County.

Property tax

Effective rate in St. Cloud

1.03%of the home’s value each year

$2,320 a year for the typical owner in St. Cloud.

  • St. Cloud 1.03%
  • Stearns 1%
  • Minnesota 1.02%

What Minnesota publishes Homestead market value exclusion (Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes (Minnesota Statutes))

Exemptions and deadlines in Minnesota

Flood risk in Stearns County

FEMA does not publish these numbers by city: they are for all of Stearns County.

Homes in the high-risk zone
1.2%
784
Of those, with NFIP insurance
15%
County Minnesota U.S.
Homes in the high-risk zone 1.2% 0.7% 3.5%
Of those, with NFIP insurance 15% 17% 48%

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage.

Look up your address on FEMA’s map

Renting

Renting in St. Cloud

Typical rent in St. Cloud is $1,003 a month: 6% below the county. In St. Cloud, 47% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

HUD publishes a fair market rent for all of Stearns County, by unit size. To pay the 2-bedroom one ($1,233 a month) without spending more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn $23.71 an hour working full time.

HUD fair market rent for all of Stearns County

What you need to earn to pay it without spending more than 30% of income, working full time.

Size Fair rent a month Hourly wage Yearly income
Studio $884 $17.00 $35,360
1 bedroom $961 $18.48 $38,440
2 bedrooms $1,233 $23.71 $49,320
3 bedrooms $1,656 $31.85 $66,240
4 bedrooms $1,961 $37.71 $78,440

Includes basic utilities. It isn't the lowest or highest rent: it's a reference point. Source: HUD, Fiscal year 2027

By ZIP code

Fair market rent by ZIP code in St. Cloud

HUD also publishes a fair market rent for each ZIP code (Small Area FMR, fiscal year 2027). St. Cloud has 3 ZIP codes with their own.

For 2 bedrooms it runs from $1,170 in 56303 to $1,540 in 56304.

2 of the 3 are above the fair market rent for Stearns County ($1,233).

  • 56301 $1,350$1,810
  • 56303 $1,170$1,570
  • 56304 $1,540$2,040

3 of these ZIP codes cross the city line: HUD sets the rent by ZIP code, not by city. A ZIP code counts for St. Cloud when at least 50% of its land is inside the city or it covers at least 15% of the city (Census 2020 boundaries). Source: Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file Data from 2020 data Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file

Is your rent high for your ZIP?

Free help

Help to buy or rent in St. Cloud

You do not have to do this alone. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency helps for free or at low cost: getting ready to buy, understanding your credit, or solving a problem with your rent.

We found no HUD-approved agencies with an office in Stearns County. The nearest ones are below; many serve by phone or online.

A grandmother pushes her grandson on a playground swing.

HUD counseling is free or low-cost

Assistance programs in St. Cloud

No down payment, repair or rent-help program on our list is for St. Cloud or Stearns County. The ones below are statewide in Minnesota: they work in St. Cloud the same as in the rest of the state.

Which programs do I qualify for? All programs in Minnesota

  • Deferred Payment Loan (Start Up)

    Statewide in Minnesota

    Minnesota state agency loan for the down payment and closing costs alongside the Start Up mortgage for first-time buyers: up to $14,000 (or $18,000 in the Plus version), with no interest or monthly payments, repaid at the end of the mortgage. Offered by Minnesota Housing (Minnesota Housing Finance Agency).

    Deferred

    See the program Official page

  • Monthly Payment Loan

    Statewide in Minnesota

    Minnesota Housing loan of up to $14,000 for the down payment and closing costs, which you repay over 15 years at the same rate as your Minnesota Housing mortgage; it works with Start Up (first-time buyers) or Step Up. Offered by Minnesota Housing (Minnesota Housing Finance Agency).

    Repayable

    See the program Official page

Housing counselors near St. Cloud

The HUD-approved agencies closest to the center of St. Cloud, in a straight line, nearest first. If one says it serves in Spanish, its card says so.

  • Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County

    7101 Northland Cir N, Brooklyn Park · 49 miles away

    • Pre-purchase counseling
    • Homebuyer education workshops
    (952) 697-1303

  • Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

    1601 Hwy 12 E, Willmar · 50 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 1 more
    (888) 577-2227

  • Capi USA

    5930 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Center · 52 miles away · Spanish

    Also serves in Hmong.

    • Budget and financial counseling
    • Budget and credit workshops
    • and 3 more
    (612) 721-0122

All counseling agencies in Minnesota

Help in Spanish near St. Cloud

1 of the 3 agencies on this list says it serves in Spanish.

Ask for service in Spanish

When you call, say “Spanish, please” or ask if someone speaks Spanish. If not, ask whether they offer an interpreter.

Housing authorities of St. Cloud

HUD’s record names them for St. Cloud or Stearns County. They run public housing or Section 8 vouchers. Ask whether their waiting list is open.

  • HRA of ST. CLOUD, MINNESOTA Public housing and Section 8 vouchers (320) 202-3174
  • Stearns County Hra Public housing and Section 8 vouchers (320) 685-7771

2 other authorities have an office in Stearns County: see the list Source: HUD

Cities

Other cities in Stearns County

These cities are also in Stearns County. They share its loan limits and fair market rents, but home values and rent change from one to the next.

Everything about Stearns County Housing in Minnesota

Nearby cities

The cities closest to St. Cloud, with the typical home value.

Neighboring counties

If Stearns County is out of reach, look next door. Each number is that county's own.

Keep going

Guides for your next step

Short explanations, in plain language and with official sources, for buying or renting in St. Cloud.

All guides
A mother and her daughters smile together on a mountain trail with a snowy peak behind them.

Questions

Housing questions about St. Cloud

Short answers with the numbers for St. Cloud and all of Stearns County. If your case is different, a HUD-approved counseling agency can guide you for free or at low cost.

How much does a typical home cost in St. Cloud?

The typical home value in St. Cloud is $225,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (average 2020–2024). For comparison, in Stearns County it is $273,400.

How much does it cost to rent in St. Cloud?

Typical rent in St. Cloud is $1,003 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms in Stearns County is $1,233.

What is the FHA loan limit in St. Cloud?

St. Cloud uses the FHA limit for all of Stearns County (2026): $541,287 for a one-unit home and $1,041,125 for a four-unit home.

How much property tax do owners pay in St. Cloud?

The typical homeowner in St. Cloud pays $2,320 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is 1.03% of the home’s value; in Stearns County, the rate is 1%.

Where can I find free help to buy or rent in St. Cloud?

We found no HUD-approved counseling agencies with an office in Stearns County; the nearest ones are on this page. They can help you get ready to buy, with your credit, or with rent.

Sources: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (Average 2020–2024); FHA mortgage limits (HUD) (2026 data); Conforming loan limits (FHFA) (2026 data); Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file (2020 data); HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Public Housing Agencies (HUD) (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) (As of November 5, 2026); FHFA House Price Index (HPI) (2025 data); Homes with flood insurance (NFIP, FEMA) (As of August 3, 2026).