Most of Mankato is in Blue Earth County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $27.46 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 3 ZIP codes in Mankato with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $880 to $1,120 a month. At the middle rent, $1,070, a full-time job would need to pay $33.95 an hour before taxes.
Parts of Mankato are also in Nicollet County.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56001 | Blue Earth County | $1,120/mo | $35.83/hr |
| 56002 | Blue Earth County | $1,070/mo | $33.95/hr |
| 56003 | Nicollet County | $880/mo | $27.46/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Mankato needs to pay at least $27.46 an hour before taxes, about $57,108 a year. That is the figure for Blue Earth County, where the typical studio rent is $880 a month.
Yes. Across the 3 ZIP codes in Mankato with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $880 to $1,120 a month. At the middle rent of $1,070, the pay needed would be $33.95 an hour.
The minimum wage in Blue Earth County is $11.41 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 2.4 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads