Metro FMR · CBSA 13020 · HUD FY2026

Bay City, MI MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Bay City, MI MSA metro area - 15% below the US average.

$814
1-bedroom FMR
$1,030
2-bedroom FMR
+5.9%
YoY change
-15%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Bay City, MI MSA area rents at $1,030 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 12% below the US average, lower than 91% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#36
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-12%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$41,200
income to afford it (30% rule)
+5.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Bay City: #36 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $60,523, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 16.1% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Bay City in the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 103,752 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-1.5%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.2%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $809/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,030 runs 27.3% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR is in the lowest national tenth (#36 most affordable of 387 metros), though the household budget still depends on local income.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 39.6% of the 10,618 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$809/mo

16.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$814/mo

16.1% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,030/mo

20.4% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,399/mo

27.7% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,518/mo

30.1% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·13020

Bay City: $814/mo 1BR · #36 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 13020

  • CBSA 13020
  • 1BR-FMR $814
  • 2BR-FMR $1,030
  • RANK-LOW #36
  • YOY-SURGE +5.9%
  • VSUS-BELOW -15%
  • IN-ST-LOW #1 MI
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MID 104K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Ann Arbor
  • VOUCH-90-110 $733–$895
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Ann Arbor ($573 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Bay City sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,030 higher than 9% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. 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.

What this shows #36 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 12% below the national 2-bedroom average. 113 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

Bay City studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #36 most affordable

1BR $814 (-15% vs US, +5.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 13020.

Studio
$809
US avg $893
↑5.9% YoY -9% vs US
1 Bedroom
$814
US avg $959
↑5.9% YoY -15% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,030
US avg $1,175
↑5.5% YoY -12% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,399
US avg $1,525
↑7.2% YoY -8% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,518
US avg $1,756
↑8.0% YoY -14% vs US

How Bay City compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MI metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Bay City highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Bay City: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Bay City with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside MI (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside MI

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Enid
OK · 2 BR $1,027/mo
Boone County
IA · 2 BR $1,026/mo
Johnstown
PA · 2 BR $1,035/mo
Ashtabula County
OH · 2 BR $1,037/mo

Burden % · outside MI

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Cincinnati
OH · 20.4% of income · 2 BR $1,353/mo
Decatur
IL · 20.4% of income · 2 BR $1,063/mo
Weirton-Steubenville
WV · 20.4% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Utica-Rome
NY · 20.4% of income · 2 BR $1,172/mo

Bay City: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Bay City, MI MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Bay City, MI MSA is $814 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,030 and a studio is $809.
How does Bay City, MI MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Bay City, MI MSA metro area is 15% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $814 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Bay City rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,030 ranks #36 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Bay City, MI MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $32,560 ($2,713/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Bay City, MI MSA area.
Is Bay City's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-1.5%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.2%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Bay City vs Ann Arbor →

What this means for renters

Treat Bay City's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

  • Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $814 implies about $32,560/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Bay City stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Ann Arbor
  • See where Bay City ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 1 county; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $814/mo · 1BR MI

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.