Metro FMR · CBSA 28020 · HUD FY2026

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA metro area - 4% above the US average.

$998
1-bedroom FMR
$1,162
2-bedroom FMR
+0.6%
YoY change
+4%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA area rents at $1,162 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 1% below the US average, lower than 72% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#109
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-1%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$46,480
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Kalamazoo-Portage: #109 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $70,525, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 17.0% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 261,426 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population declined 22.4% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels.

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.2%, 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 $1,049/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,162 runs 10.8% 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: 47.0% of the 38,303 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

$838/mo

14.3% of median income

1 Bedroom

$998/mo

17.0% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,162/mo

19.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,531/mo

26.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,571/mo

26.7% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·28020

Kalamazoo-Portage: $998/mo 1BR · #109 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 28020

  • CBSA 28020
  • 1BR-FMR $998
  • 2BR-FMR $1,162
  • RANK-MID #109
  • YOY-FLAT +0.6%
  • VSUS-NEAR +4%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #10 MI
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MAJOR 261K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Ann Arbor
  • VOUCH-90-110 $898–$1,098
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Ann Arbor ($389 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Kalamazoo-Portage sits among every US metro

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

$1,162 higher than 28% 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 #109 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 1% 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

Kalamazoo-Portage studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #109 most affordable

1BR $998 (+4% vs US, +0.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 28020.

Studio
$838
US avg $893
↑1.2% YoY -6% vs US
1 Bedroom
$998
US avg $959
↑0.6% YoY +4% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,162
US avg $1,175
↓1.6% YoY -1% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,531
US avg $1,525
↓2.1% YoY +0% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,571
US avg $1,756
↓6.0% YoY -11% vs US

How Kalamazoo-Portage compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MI metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Kalamazoo-Portage highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Kalamazoo-Portage: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Kalamazoo-Portage 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).

Laredo
TX · 2 BR $1,161/mo
Green Bay
WI · 2 BR $1,164/mo
Columbia
MO · 2 BR $1,160/mo
La Crosse-Onalaska
WI · 2 BR $1,166/mo

Burden % · outside MI

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

Omaha-Council Bluffs
NE · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $1,368/mo
Evansville
IN · 19.7% of income · 2 BR $1,113/mo
Fort Smith
AR · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $937/mo
Canton-Massillon
OH · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $1,086/mo

Kalamazoo-Portage: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA is $998 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,162 and a studio is $838.
How does Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA metro area is 4% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $998 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Kalamazoo-Portage rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,162 ranks #109 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $39,920 ($3,327/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA area.
Is Kalamazoo-Portage's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population declined 22.4% over the past five years (Census ACS), a trend that can ease rental-market pressure over time even as FMR reflects recent rent levels. The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.2%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Kalamazoo-Portage vs Ann Arbor →

What this means for renters

Treat Kalamazoo-Portage'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 $998 implies about $39,920/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Kalamazoo-Portage stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Ann Arbor
  • See where Kalamazoo-Portage 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 $998/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.