Metro FMR · CBSA 34740 · HUD FY2026

Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA metro area - 2% below the US average.

$942
1-bedroom FMR
$1,236
2-bedroom FMR
+7.2%
YoY change
-2%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA area rents at $1,236 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 5% above the US average, lower than 59% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#160
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+5%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$49,440
income to afford it (30% rule)
+7.2%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Muskegon-Norton Shores: #160 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $63,495, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 17.8% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 175,947 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.3%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 7.8%, 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 $960/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,236 runs 28.7% 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: 44.6% of the 14,587 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

$866/mo

16.4% of median income

1 Bedroom

$942/mo

17.8% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,236/mo

23.4% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,490/mo

28.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,636/mo

30.9% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·34740

Muskegon-Norton Shores: $942/mo 1BR · #160 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 34740

  • CBSA 34740
  • 1BR-FMR $942
  • 2BR-FMR $1,236
  • RANK-MID #160
  • YOY-SURGE +7.2%
  • VSUS-NEAR -2%
  • IN-ST-LOW #7 MI
  • INC-ROOM 18%
  • POP-MID 176K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Ann Arbor
  • VOUCH-90-110 $848–$1,036
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Ann Arbor ($445 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Muskegon-Norton Shores sits among every US metro

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

$1,236 higher than 41% 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 #160 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 5% 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

Muskegon-Norton Shores studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #160 most affordable

1BR $942 (-2% vs US, +7.2% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 34740.

Studio
$866
US avg $893
↑8.7% YoY -3% vs US
1 Bedroom
$942
US avg $959
↑7.2% YoY -2% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,236
US avg $1,175
↑7.2% YoY +5% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,490
US avg $1,525
↑5.8% YoY -2% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,636
US avg $1,756
↑7.0% YoY -7% vs US

How Muskegon-Norton Shores compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MI metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Muskegon-Norton Shores highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Muskegon-Norton Shores: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Muskegon-Norton Shores 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).

Appleton
WI · 2 BR $1,236/mo
Racine-Mount Pleasant
WI · 2 BR $1,235/mo
Killeen-Temple
TX · 2 BR $1,233/mo
Cleveland
TN · 2 BR $1,233/mo

Burden % · outside MI

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

Kankakee
IL · 23.3% of income · 2 BR $1,326/mo
Morristown
TN · 23.4% of income · 2 BR $1,135/mo
Great Falls
MT · 23.3% of income · 2 BR $1,284/mo
Gainesville
GA · 23.5% of income · 2 BR $1,514/mo

Muskegon-Norton Shores: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA is $942 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,236 and a studio is $866.
How does Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA metro area is 2% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $942 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Muskegon-Norton Shores rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,236 ranks #160 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $37,680 ($3,140/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA area.
Is Muskegon-Norton Shores's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.3%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 7.8%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Muskegon-Norton Shores vs Ann Arbor →

What this means for renters

Treat Muskegon-Norton Shores'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 $942 implies about $37,680/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Muskegon-Norton Shores stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Ann Arbor
  • See where Muskegon-Norton Shores 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 $942/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.