County FMR · HUD FY2026

Mason County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Mason County, MI - 15% below the US average.

$816
1-bedroom FMR
$1,026
2-bedroom FMR
+8.9%
YoY change
-15%
vs US avg

The verdict

Mason is the 40th cheapest of 83 counties in Michigan by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,573 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties; rent here has climbed 8.9% since FY 2025, a modest shift relative to most counties.

#1,573
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#40
cheapest of 83 in Michigan (2BR)
-8%
vs the state average
$32,640
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (9.1%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (33.9%); 13 of 15 common occupations here can afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent without exceeding the 30% threshold; nearby Michigan counties range as much as 62% apart in 1-bedroom FMR, so the county line itself can matter for renters comparing options.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Mason County, MI. Verify with HUD →

Mason County, Michigan carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $816 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,026/mo and a studio is $726/mo. That's 15% below the national benchmark of $959 and 8% below the Michigan average of $891.

Rent increased8.9% from FY 2025 ($749), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $32,640/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 40.1% of the 2,727 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Michigan. Population: 29,178. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.0%, Census ACS). That's in line with Michigan's statewide growth of +0.9% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area MASON·COUNTY·MI·MI

Mason County, MI: $816/mo 1BR · #1573 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA MI
  • 1BR-FMR $816
  • 2BR-FMR $1,026
  • RANK-MID #1,573
  • YOY-SURGE +8.9%
  • VSUS-BELOW -15%
  • VS-ST-LOW -8% MI
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-SMALL 29K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Wayne County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $734–$898
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Wayne ($306 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $807 · US avg: $893
$726/mo
↑ 7.7% YoY -10% vs state -19% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $891 · US avg: $959
$816/mo
↑ 8.9% YoY -8% vs state -15% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,113 · US avg: $1,175
$1,026/mo
↑ 6.7% YoY -8% vs state -13% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,419 · US avg: $1,525
$1,366/mo
↑ 8.7% YoY -4% vs state -10% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,588 · US avg: $1,756
$1,374/mo
↑ 5.9% YoY -13% vs state -22% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $674
$726
+$52 (+7.7%)
1 Bedroom $749
$816
+$67 (+8.9%)
2 Bedroom $962
$1,026
+$64 (+6.7%)
3 Bedroom $1,257
$1,366
+$109 (+8.7%)
4 Bedroom $1,298
$1,374
+$76 (+5.9%)

Rent Burden Analysis

How much of household income goes to rent in Mason County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.

Studio
14%
Affordable
Need $29,040/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
15.7%
Affordable
Need $32,640/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
19.8%
Affordable
Need $41,040/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
26.3%
Affordable
Need $54,640/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
26.5%
Affordable
Need $54,960/yr for 30% rule
How we calculate this

Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.

0%100%National avg22%19.8%
Mason County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $62,296 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Michigan rent burden →

Where Mason sits among every US county

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties

$1,026 higher than 50% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 29 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 40 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 13 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 9 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 15 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. This county $600 $4,400 every US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

How Mason compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Michigan counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Mason is highlighted. Nearby Michigan counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Washtenaw County ($1,387), Kent County ($1,278), Wayne County ($1,122), Oakland County ($1,122), Macomb County ($1,122), Genesee County ($856), Mason County (this county) ($816).

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $816/mo compares to Michigan salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation MI Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $107,820 9.1% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $99,660 9.8% Affordable
Registered Nurses $85,670 11.4% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $77,720 12.6% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $74,420 13.2% Affordable
Electricians $72,680 13.5% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $62,350 15.7% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $61,490 15.9% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $55,140 17.8% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $42,560 23% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $40,040 24.5% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $35,000 28% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $33,340 29.4% Affordable
Teaching Assistants $30,960 31.6% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $28,870 33.9% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Michigan) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

7-year Fair Market Rent history for Mason County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Mason (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 48.4% overall, from $550 to $816. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +12.6% in FY 2023, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$500$600$700$800$900 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $816
Mason County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑8.9% $726 $816 $1,026
FY 2025 ↑1.2% $674 $749 $962
FY 2024 ↑11.8% $675 $740 $965
FY 2023 ↑12.6% $652 $662 $871
FY 2022 ↓3.6% $576 $588 $774
FY 2021 ↑10.9% $583 $610 $803
FY 2020 $506 $550 $724
Total change (6yr): +48.4%
Annualized: +6.8%/yr
1 BR: $550 → $816

Part of the Ludington, MI Micro Area

Mason County is a central county of the Ludington, MI micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Mason County, both outside Michigan so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.

Similar 2-bedroom FMR

Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside MI (FY2026).

Ouachita Parish
LA · 2 BR $1,026/mo
Jefferson County
IL · 2 BR $1,026/mo
Boone County
IA · 2 BR $1,026/mo
Union Parish
LA · 2 BR $1,026/mo

Similar rent burden

Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside MI).

Mississippi County
AR · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $880/mo
White County
AR · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $880/mo
Montgomery County
KS · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $877/mo
Tippah County
MS · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $842/mo

Nearby Counties in Michigan

Largest counties by population in Michigan

Showing the 8 largest of 82 other counties in Michigan.

Wayne County
1 BR: $1,122/mo Pop: 1,781,641
Oakland County
1 BR: $1,122/mo Pop: 1,272,264
Macomb County
1 BR: $1,122/mo Pop: 878,453
Kent County
1 BR: $1,278/mo Pop: 657,321
Genesee County
1 BR: $856/mo Pop: 405,280
Washtenaw County
1 BR: $1,387/mo Pop: 370,231
Ottawa County
1 BR: $1,333/mo Pop: 296,183
Ingham County
1 BR: $1,012/mo Pop: 282,540
View all counties in Michigan →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Mason County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Mason County is $816 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,026 and a studio is $726.
How does Mason County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Mason County is 15% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $816 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Mason County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Mason County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,026 ranks #1,573 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Mason County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $32,640 ($2,720/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Mason County.
Is rent going up or down in Mason County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Mason County increased by 8.9% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $749 to $816.
Which jobs can afford rent in Mason County? ▼
Based on Michigan BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $816/mo. 13 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Mason County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Mason County went from $550 in FY 2020 to $816 in FY 2026, a total change of +48.4% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Mason County? ▼
In Mason County, the FY 2026 FMR of $816/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Mason County? ▼
For Mason County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($816/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD Fair Market Rents. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county-level fair-market rent estimates by bedroom count. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
  • HUD Income Limits - area median income for affordability calculations. huduser.gov/datasets/il
  • HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) - rent burden and housing-cost distribution. huduser.gov/datasets/cp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - county and metro housing characteristics + median rent. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence - rent inflation by metro. bls.gov/cpi
  • IRS Migration Data (SOI) - interstate migration aggregates affecting county demand. irs.gov/statistics/migration
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - state-level median wages by occupation, used for job affordability analysis. bls.gov/oes

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.