Metro FMR · CBSA 45900 · HUD FY2026

Benzie County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Benzie County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 2% below the US average.

$937
1-bedroom FMR
$1,224
2-bedroom FMR
-2%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Benzie County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,224 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 4% above the US average, lower than 61% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#152
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+4%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$48,960
income to afford it (30% rule)

Affordability & income context

Benzie County: #152 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $77,495, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 14.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Benzie County in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 153,733 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.2%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 8.9%, 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 $1,154/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,224 runs 6.1% 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 sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

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: 44.4% of the 12,062 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

$904/mo

14.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$937/mo

14.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,224/mo

19.0% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,586/mo

24.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,720/mo

26.6% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·45900

Benzie County: $937/mo 1BR · #152 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 45900

  • CBSA 45900
  • 1BR-FMR $937
  • 2BR-FMR $1,224
  • RANK-MID #152
  • YOY-NA YoY pending
  • VSUS-NEAR -2%
  • IN-ST-LOW #6 MI
  • INC-ROOM 15%
  • POP-MID 154K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Ann Arbor
  • VOUCH-90-110 $843–$1,031
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Ann Arbor ($450 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Benzie County sits among every US metro

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

$1,224 higher than 39% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #152 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 4% above the national 2-bedroom average. 94 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 45900

Counties inside Benzie County

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 45900, but county-level schedules inside Benzie County still diverge: 4 counties range from $973 (2BR in Kalkaska) to $1,497 (Leelanau), a 54% spread. Grand Traverse is the largest county by population.

Grand Traverse County 2BR $1,357 · 95K Leelanau County 2BR $1,497 · 22K Benzie County 2BR $1,224 · 18K Kalkaska County 2BR $973 · 18K

Benzie County studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #152 most affordable

Each bedroom band is FY2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for CBSA 45900 (153,733 residents).

Studio
$904
US avg $893
+1% vs US
1 Bedroom
$937
US avg $959
-2% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,224
US avg $1,175
+4% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,586
US avg $1,525
+4% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,720
US avg $1,756
-2% vs US

How Benzie County compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MI metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Benzie County highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Benzie County: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Benzie County 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).

Homosassa Springs
FL · 2 BR $1,225/mo
Lewiston
ID · 2 BR $1,220/mo
Tulsa
OK · 2 BR $1,217/mo
Lake Charles
LA · 2 BR $1,217/mo

Burden % · outside MI

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

Oshkosh-Neenah
WI · 18.9% of income · 2 BR $1,149/mo
Grand Forks
ND · 19% of income · 2 BR $1,089/mo
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
IA · 19.1% of income · 2 BR $1,143/mo
Rochester
MN · 18.8% of income · 2 BR $1,407/mo

Benzie County: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Benzie County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Benzie County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area is $937 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,224 and a studio is $904.
How does Benzie County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Benzie County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 2% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $937 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Benzie County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,224 ranks #152 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Benzie County metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 45900, but 4 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $973–$1,497 for a 2-bedroom (54% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Benzie County's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.2%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 8.9%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Benzie County vs Ann Arbor →

What this means for renters

Treat Benzie County'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 $937 implies about $37,480/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Benzie County stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Ann Arbor
  • See where Benzie County 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 4 counties; 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 $937/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.