What HUD offices serve Watkins, Minnesota?
Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.
Go to the Minnesota Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Watkins.
How many renters live in Watkins, Minnesota?
The City of Watkins has 831 people living in 318 households.
There are 219 renters living in 119 renter households in this City. Renters make up 26.35 percent of the population living in Watkins.
What is the rental market like in Watkins, Minnesota?
There are an estimated 396 housing units in the Watkins area. Of these, 128 units are rental homes, making up 32 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Watkins, Minnesota, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Watkins?
The rental vacancy rate in Watkins is 7 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.
How many rental units are in Watkins for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Watkins
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 47 | 36 | 16 | 14 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Watkins
A large number of apartments in Watkins have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.
How many renter households in Watkins are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 40 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 23 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.
The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.
How Much Is Rent in Watkins
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $646 to $1,498. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $646 |
| One BR | $766 |
| Two BR | $953 |
| Three BR | $1,343 |
| Four BR | $1,498 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Watkins, Minnesota
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Watkins?
Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.
These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:
| Unit Size | Count of Units Below FMR | Percentage of Total Units Below FMR |
| Studio | 0 | 100 percent |
| One BR | 40 | 85 percent |
| Two BR | 24 | 67 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Watkins, Minnesota
How many affordable rental units are in Watkins?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Watkins, Minnesota including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 36 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 12 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Watkins, Minnesota
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Watkins, Minnesota
Watkins features 48 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.
Low Rent Apartments in Watkins, Minnesota
There are 0 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Watkins.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Watkins, Minnesota
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Watkins landlords $0 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $0 towards rent in Watkins.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Watkins, Minnesota for a two-bedroom apartment is between $858 and $1,048.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
