How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Calhoun County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,058 to $1,294. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Calhoun County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Calhoun those run from $990 to $1,380 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Calhoun County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Michigan figures are loaded.

What is the FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for Calhoun County?

$1,233 for a two-bedroom, effective October 1, 2026. Studio $863, one bedroom $1,032, three $1,469, four $1,653.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026

Fair Market Rent in Calhoun County, Michigan (FY 2026)

HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Calhoun County is $1,176 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,176

+7.9% from FY 2025

Payment standard

$1,058–$1,294

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$47,040

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Michigan

25th of 83

by two-bedroom FMR, highest first

FY 2027

HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Calhoun moves to $1,233. That's up 5%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.

FY 2026 Fair Market Rents

Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.

Bedrooms	FMR	Payment standard	Income needed	Hourly wage	vs FY 2025
Studio	$833	$750–$916	$33,320	$16.02/hr	+7.2%
1 bedroom	$976	$878–$1,074	$39,040	$18.77/hr	+8.6%
2 bedroom	$1,176	$1,058–$1,294	$47,040	$22.62/hr	+7.9%
3 bedroom	$1,410	$1,269–$1,551	$56,400	$27.12/hr	+7.4%
4 bedroom	$1,565	$1,409–$1,722	$62,600	$30.10/hr	+5.0%

Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)

HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.

Bedrooms	Estimated FMR	Payment standard
5 bedroom Estimate	$1,800	$1,620–$1,980
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,035	$1,832–$2,239
7 bedroom Estimate	$2,269	$2,042–$2,496
8 bedroom Estimate	$2,504	$2,254–$2,754

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Calhoun actually rent for?

Search any address in Calhoun for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.

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What a voucher pays here

The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Calhoun somewhere between $1,058 and $1,294. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.

$1,176 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $47,040 a year. Put another way, $23 an hour full time.

Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.

Monthly household income	Tenant pays (30%)	Voucher pays at 90%$1,058	Voucher pays at 100%$1,176	Voucher pays at 110%$1,294
$2,500	$750	$308	$426	$544
$4,000	$1,200	$0	$0	$94

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 8% from FY 2025 ($1,090) to FY 2026 ($1,176). Since FY 2020 it's up 48% in total, about 6.8% a year. The Michigan median moved up 7% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$517	$632	$794	$1,028	$1,076	—
FY 2021	$552	$661	$837	$1,074	$1,148	+5.4%
FY 2022	$602	$670	$841	$1,091	$1,183	+0.5%
FY 2023	$697	$779	$958	$1,224	$1,397	+13.9%
FY 2024	$745	$854	$1,038	$1,291	$1,488	+8.4%
FY 2025	$777	$899	$1,090	$1,313	$1,491	+5.0%
FY 2026In effect	$833	$976	$1,176	$1,410	$1,565	+7.9%
FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026	$863	$1,032	$1,233	$1,469	$1,653	+4.8%

About this rate

Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Calhoun, that runs from $833 for a studio up to $1,565 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Calhoun is its own HUD metro area (Battle Creek, MI), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among Michigan's 83 counties, Calhoun ranks 25th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 14% above the state median of $1,033 and about 16% above the national median county at $1,018. About 134,011 people live here, 17th in the state.

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $990 in 49029 (Burlington) and $1,380 in 49092 (Tekonsha), with the 13 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.

ZIP	City	2BR rate	vs county
49011	Athens	$1,110	-5.6%
49014	Battle Creek	$1,250	+6.3%
49015	Battle Creek	$1,210	+2.9%
49016	Battle Creek	$1,180	+0.3%
49017	Battle Creek	$1,150	-2.2%
49018	Battle Creek	$1,176County rate	—
49020	Bedford	$1,176County rate	—
49029	Burlington	$990	-15.8%
49033	Ceresco	$1,170	-0.5%
49037	Battle Creek	$1,090	-7.3%
49051	East Leroy	$1,150	-2.2%
49068	Marshall	$1,150	-2.2%
49092	Tekonsha	$1,380	+17.3%
49224	Albion	$1,060	-9.9%
49245	Homer	$1,130	-3.9%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Calhoun.

Branch County

21 mi · 44,795 people

$973

-17%

Kalamazoo County

23 mi · 261,426 people

$1,162

-1%

Barry County

28 mi · 62,581 people

$1,334

+13%

Eaton County

30 mi · 109,072 people

$1,268

+8%

St. Joseph County

31 mi · 60,887 people

$1,019

-13%

Hillsdale County

33 mi · 45,698 people

$1,002

-15%

Jackson County

34 mi · 160,637 people

$1,165

-1%

Ingham County

43 mi · 282,540 people

$1,268

+8%

Questions people ask

$1,176 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $833 for a studio, $976 for one bedroom, $1,410 for three and $1,565 for four.

Tools for this county

All Michigan counties All states

Fair Market Rent lookup

Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count

Section 8 rent calculator

Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent

What is Fair Market Rent?

How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords

Rent affordability calculator

The income a household needs for a given rent